Eggnog Mini Muffins

Eggnog. It’s one of my favorite seasonal things to drink and makes me feel all Christmasy! This recipe puts those flavors into a perfectly sweet little bite-sized nom.

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Eggnog Mini Muffins

Yields approximately 42 mini muffins

Ingredients for the muffins:

• 2 2/3 cups all-Purpose Flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1.25 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup light eggnog

Ingredients for the glaze:

• 1.75 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup light eggnog
• 1/2 tablespoon brandy
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and spray a (or two) mini muffin pan(s) with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together the butter, canola oil, and sugars until smooth. Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.

Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with the eggnog (1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup eggnog, 1/3 flour mixture, last half of the eggnog, last of the flour mixture). Mix until well combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans, filling the wells nearly full. (I like to spray my spoons with nonstick spray so that the batter does not adhere to them.)

Bake the muffins for 10-12 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Remove muffins from the oven, and let them cool for 3-4 minutes.

Then place them on a wire rack to fully cool. Repeat if you only have 1 mini muffin pan.

While waiting on the muffins to bake, you can start on the glaze. Add all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Dip the tops of each mini muffin into the glaze and let cool on a wire cooling rack until glaze sets up.

Serve with a glass of milk, hot chocolate, or more eggnog!

Enjoy!!

“Every Christmas my Mom would get a fresh goose, for gooseburgers, and my Dad would whip up his special eggnog out of bourbon and ice cubes. ” – Fry, Futurama

PB Rudolph Cookies

Festive Christmas cookies! When I came across this idea on pinterest, I couldn’t resist. I changed the peanut butter recipe since I love mine, and I decided that Rudolph needed green eyes. (Plus it allowed me to buy less M&Ms and mini M&Ms.)

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

PB Rudolph Cookies

Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chocolate-covered mini pretzels (I used 2 packages of the milk chocolate Flips)
• Mini green M&Ms
• Regular-sized red M&Ms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F, and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat until light and fluffy. Next, add eggs and vanilla and combine thoroughly.

Then mix in flour mixture in about 1/3 increments.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, gently flatten the balls slightly and pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a rounded point. Finish off by flattening a bit more with your hands.

Place cookies about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, when they are just beginning to brown.

Remove from oven and immediately press two mini pretzels (gently) into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer’s antlers. Press (gently) two mini green M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose.

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or parchment paper to cool completely.

Enjoy!!

“Peanut butter [is] the pâté of childhood.” – Florence Fabricant

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Holiday Cookies! These are probably my favorite cookies to make around this time of year. These little babies have the seasonal yummy flavors of pumpkin, white chocolate, and cranberries all rolled into one!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Yields 4 Dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F, and line a couple baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well.

In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix thoroughly. In small increments, add flour mixture; combine until all ingredients are incorporated.

Finally, fold in white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and pecans (if you are using them). I made 10 cookies without pecans for a friend who has a nut allergy, and then I added the pecans for the remaining cookies.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Repeat until all the batter is finished.

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!!

“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” – Anonymous

Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Both of my parents-in-law’s birthdays are in November. We always celebrate when we are together for Thanksgiving since we are surrounded by family. This year I was asked to make their very special birthday cake. The nommy combination I landed on was this one. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields 1 double-layer 9-inch round cake

Ingredients for the cake:

• 1/2 cup bourbon (I used Wild Turkey.)
• 3 large eggs
• 1.5 cups granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 16 ounces (2 bricks) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2.5 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)

Directions:

Place the bourbon in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Reduce to about 1/2 of the original amount.  Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350°F, and spray 2  9″-round baking pans with non-stick baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, oil and buttermilk. Mix until well combined.

Next add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt, and mix until everything is fully incorporated.

Finally, add the pumpkin and the reserved bourbon, and mix well.

Pour the batter equally into the two prepared round pans. Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Rotate the pans halfway through the baking period.

Remove from the oven and let rest and cool for about 20 minutes in the pan or more before turning onto wire rack to completely cool before filling and icing.

While you wait for the cakes to cool, start on the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth. Next, add the vanilla, maple syrup, spices, and salt.

Mix until all is incorporated, and then reduce the speed to low.

Slowly and carefully add the confectioner’s sugar in small increments. (I added it in three different parts: 1 cup, 1 cup, and 1/2 cup.)  Beat until well blended.

Increase the speed to high, and beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Once the cakes are cool enough to handle and assemble, arrange first layer of the cake on cake plate/cake board. Level out cake if you need to, but you probably won’t have to since you rotated the pans in the oven half way through. Spread about 1 cup of icing over first layer, as the filling. Spread out to the edges.

Place second layer of cake on top of first. Pour a small amount of frosting on top of the second layer and over the entire cake. This is called the crumb layer and will help with keeping your crumbs out of the final iced product.

Finally, pour remaining frosting on top of the second layer and spread over the entire cake.

Decorate cake as desired, slice, and serve.

Enjoy!!

“Birthdays are nature’s way of telling us to eat more cake.” – Anonymous

Double Coffee Blondies

Coffee…I LOVE it. Chances are that if something is coffee flavored, I will eat it. This recipe combines some of my favorite things…coffee, Heath bars, and liqueur.

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Double Coffee Blondies

Yields one 9″ x 13″ pan

Ingredients:

• non-stick spray
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur (I used Caffé Lolita)
• 1/2 cup Heath bars, chopped (I put mine in the food processor to do all the work for me)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and spray a 9″x13″ pan with non-stick spray. Lay a piece of parchment paper across the pan, so that it extends the pan slightly. (This is an optional step, but it will make it easier to get the bars out later after baking.)

Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt it and bring it to a boil. Keep and eye on it and stir it frequently to keep it from burning or boiling over. As you keep stirring, it will become quite frothy and will brown.

Remove from the heat and pour the browned butter into a large bowl (or Kitchen Aid stand mixer bowl) and allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes.

While it cools, sift and combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder in another medium bowl.

Return to the bowl with the butter and add the sugars; mix well. Next add the eggs, vanilla, and coffee liquor.

Mix until combined.

Slowly, add the dry ingredient bowl into the wet batter. Do not over mix.

Once the batter is fully incorporated, fold in the Heath bars. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the pan in the oven, and bake  for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the pan cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into squares.

Enjoy them with a nice glass of milk. (Just a warning…don’t eat these late at night…they will keep you up! Up enough to make you want more! ;))

Enjoy!!

“Chocolate, men, coffee – some things are better rich. ” – Unknown

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Bananas! It’s one of our favorite fruits to have on hand, but like most people, we run into the problem of quick ripening. It also didn’t take me that long to notice that my husband avoids the bananas to let them ripen ON PURPOSE. He knows what happens to our bananas in our house – they go into the freezer until I have time to make banana bread. He LOVES banana bread and so does my sister-in-law. Since they are coming for a visit, I busted out the frozen bananas. This recipe is perfect for those and is one of my staple baked goods!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 4 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and spray one 9″x5″ loaf pan (or 2 8″x3.75″ loaf pans) with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl or kitchen aid stand mixer bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.

Next add in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Slowly add flour mixture into the bowl just to the point that it well incorporated.

Remove from kitchen aid stand and fold in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using).

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s).

Place in oven, and bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven, and let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then dig in!

Enjoy!!

“While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.” – Unknown

Bite-sized Rolo Brownies

Chocolate and caramel…a winning combo for enticing desserts. Although you could make this in a square pan, I feel like it’s more fun to make them miniature. Plus mini things are cuter, right? 😀

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Bite-sized Rolo Brownies

Yields about 4.5 dozen mini cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white granulated sugar, sifted
• 1 cup brown sugar, sifted
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1.25 cups cocoa, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 (12 ounces) bag Rolo candy
• 5 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, straight out of the fridge

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300°F, and spray a mini cupcake/muffin pan with non-stick spray. You can also use liners if you prefer (which I did – mostly because I was excited to use my new ones).

Sift the sugars in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer bowl (or can use a large bowl and hand mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer), place the eggs and use whisk attachment. Beat them until they are light yellow and fluffy. Next add both sifted sugars and combine fully.

Add the butter, cocoa, vanilla, flour, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Pour the batter into the prepared mini cupcake pan, and place a Rolo in the center and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a mini cupcake comes out clean.

Allow the pan to cool for 5 minutes before removing them. (It’s ok if they deflate some…that’s to be expected.)

While you are cooking and cooling the brownie bites, you can make the chocolate topping. Place the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Melt it in 30 second increments at 50% power until it is all melted and mixing in between the microwave heating sessions.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon over each mini cupcake brownie.

Serve along side a glass of milk or nice glass of red wine!

Enjoy!!

“What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate.” – Katherine Hepburn

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake Sopapilla Bars

More pumpkin flavored stuffs…and another combo of yummy flavors. I had seen previous recipes for easy sopapilla cheesecake bars in the past. Why not mesh some pumpkin love with it? And while we are along those lines, let’s add alcohol! Yay!!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake Sopapilla Bars

Yields 1 9×13 pan

Ingredients:

• non-stick baking spray
• 2 cans crescent rolls
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 1 can (15 ounce) puréed pumpkin (I use Libby’s usually since I always have it stocked in my pantry)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
• 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and spray a 9″x13″ pan with non-stick spray.

Open and unroll one can of crescent roll dough. Try to keep it in one piece as best as you can. Lay it in the dish, press it out to cover the bottom and pinch the seams together.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, vanilla, bourbon (if you are using it), pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Beat on medium speed until combined. Spread this mixture over the crescent roll dough in your pan.

Unroll the other can of crescent roll dough and lay it over top of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour melted butter over top of crescent roll dough and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly across the surface.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let bars cool completely before covering them and placing them in the refrigerator to chill for at least a couple of hours; leaving the bars overnight works best.

Enjoy!!

“Okay, here it is, your choice…it’s simple, her or me, and I’m pretty sure she is really great. But Derek, I love you, in a really, really big ‘pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window’, unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you. So pick me, choose me, love me.” – Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Blondie Bars

It’s autumn!! And you know what that means…pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING!! Who doesn’t like snickerdoodles? That’s right, no one! This is a delish combo that makes me feel like it’s fall in Texas even though we don’t really get the season here. Happy holiday baking is coming soon!!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Blondie Bars

Yields 1 9×13 pan

Ingredients for the snickerdoodle layer:

• non-stick baking spray
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Ingredients for the pumpkin pie layer:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Ingredients for the white chocolate drizzle:

• 2 ounces white chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and spray a 9″x13″ pan with non-stick spray. Lay a piece of parchment paper across the pan, so that it extends the pan slightly. (This is an optional step, but it will make it easier to get the bars out later after baking.)

First start on the snickerdoodle layer. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Add the flour mixture in thirds until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan. This is will be a cookie batter consistency. (I spread it out with my hands…evidenced by my hand prints below.)

Next make start on the pumpkin layer. In a large mixer bowl (I used the same one that I used to make the snickerdoodle batter) with a paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, and pumpkin  and mix until well combined. (This layer will be less thick and pourable.) Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top.

Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely (about an hour). They will deflate a bit and remain a bit pie-like on the top layer.

After the bars are completely cool, place the chopped white chocolate into a bowl or zip-lock bag and melt on 50% power in the microwave in 15 second increments. When it’s completely melted, add the pumpkin pie spice and mix.

Use a spoon or cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bars and let it cool and harden.

Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars. Store in an air-tight covered container.

Enjoy!!

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” – Henry David Thoreau

Strawberry Citrus Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Strawberry Cake…mmm. One of our favorites!! This usually gets made around Valentine’s Day or whenever I have strawberries on the brink of going bad in the refrigerator. For years I was in search of a recipe that would use fresh strawberries instead of gelatin. This is what I came up with. I did have to supplement with some red food coloring to achieve the correct color, but that’s okay with me…because it’s YUMMY!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Strawberry Citrus Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields 2 9-inch round cakes or 1 heart shaped cake*

Ingredients for the cake:

• non-stick baking spray
• all-purpose flour, for pans
• 1.5 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon sugar
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup pureed strawberries, seeds strained out (1/2 pint of strawberries)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest from 1/2 lemon
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• red food coloring, optional

*Double recipe if you want a 3 layer cake and use 3 9-inch round pans.

Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:

• 1 (8 ounces) package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tablespoon milk, if needed

Directions for the cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F, and spray 2 9″-round pans or 1 heart pan with non-stick baking spray. (If you use non-stick cooking spray, flour the pans as well.) Set aside.

To prepare the cake batter, combine self-rising flour and sugars. Mix well. Add oil, pureed strawberries, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs in a large bowl.

Stir well until fully combined. At this point, I added the red food coloring. I usually just add it a couple of drops at a time until I achieve my ideal pink color.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

Bake until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, approximately 26 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Rotate the pans halfway through the baking period.

Remove from oven and cool in pans for 20 minutes or more before turning onto wire rack to completely cool before icing.

Directions for the frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Slowly add the sugar in 1 cup batches until desired sweetness is achieved. (You can use less than 3 cups if you like your frosting not as sweet.)

Stir in vanilla. Add milk slowly if you need a less stiff consistency.

Pour a small amount of frosting on top of the entire cake. This is called the crumb layer and will help with keeping your crumbs out of the product.

Finally, pour remaining frosting on top and spread over the entire cake. Decorate cake as desired, slice, and serve.

Enjoy!!

“I feel you need to know that your good friend, Miranda Hobbes, has just taken a piece of cake out of the garbage and eaten it. You’ll probably need this information when you check me into the “Betty Crocker Clinic. ” – Miranda Hobbes, Sex and the City