recipes

old-fashioned apple cake ♥


3 blog posts in 2 weeks? who am i? 🙂
so i posted about this old-fashioned apple cake on instagram two years ago and so many of you made and loved the recipe – it prompted me to do a little digging because the recipe i had was good, but something seemed a little different from what i remembered… i’ve been making this cake with my mom since i was a teenager, but we hadn’t made it for many years when i came across the recipe in my old cookbook


i followed that recipe exactly and shared it on instagram at that time – since then i’ve been talking about it with my mom and her sisters – the recipe came from their sister in law who has since passed away but my aunt found her original recipe card and we realized that the copy i had – had probably been copied so many times or the recipe was cut in half  – so basically it was still very similar to the origianl but not really the right recipe if that makes sense


after making it a few times since then, and evaluating it with them 🙂 we got it down to the original ingredients and method that we remembered it to be ♥ the cake is moist and so good + the cinnamon sugar on top gives it that yummy crunch – i recently took the cake on a visit with me to my aunt’s house with all of us there and this version got a thumbs up from everyone – especially my daughter jayla ♥ 


so we’re passing this cake down to the next generation and i’ve printed a copy for both of my girls’ cookbooks – i have binders for each of them filled with our family favorites and that i add to whenever we try somthing new that we decide is a keeper – i’ll try to do a blog post on that sometime with more info and pictures




i made a cute printable recipe sheet for you to print out at home – fit it into a 8.5×11 recipe binder with a plastic sleeve or resize it to fit a 5×8 binder, which is what my recipes are in here pictured below – these binders were project life recipe binders that i believe are no longer in print but any 5×8 binder will work with plastic inserts from an office supply store




 take note that in this new revised recipe i used an angel food pan like this one – with a higher & thicker cake, this pan comes apart in the middle making cake removal very easy – just make sure to grease & flour both pieces as i mentioned in the instructions – don’t skip that part!

♥ ♥ ♥

now… and i hope i haven’t lost you yet … but the original recipe i shared from 2018 (pictured below) was made in a bundt pan like this one, is close to half of the size of the revised recipe and is pictured here with step by step pictures and the recipe from my cookbook – it’s reminds me more of an apple danish (because of less batter) but is just as delicious!




make either version of my family recipe and you won’t be disappointed – they’re both so yummy… and thanks for following along with me on this one! it’s caused me to really think about how we document our family information/memories/stories and about how we pass information down to the next generation – i’m sure so much gets lost in translation! i think that’s why it’s SO important to write down as much as we can and ALSO to get into the kitchen with our kids and show them how we cook/bake these recipes so that they have first hand knowledge of how their family traditions are carried on! showing them face to face (mixer to mixer 🙂 what was taught to the generation before them ♥
(me & my aunt 1999 ish)
(jayla & my aunt this last Christmas)
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heart shaped sugar cookies ♥


Valentines Day has always been my favorite holiday – i think it’s all the hearts, sprinkles, and pink stuff that’s on everything 🙂 so when it comes to making heart cookies i always get excited … maybe about eating them as much as making them ♥



make a batch of these cookies for your family or to put into cute bags/containers
 to give to friends or neighbors – i promise they will love them!


this roll out cookie dough recipe has been my go-to recipe for twenty years 
um. wow. that makes me feel really old
 anywayssss…… this recipe has never failed me! the cookies are soft, buttery 
and at the perfect thickness when rolled out to a quarter inch

but the real game changer was when i learned to roll the dough out onto parchment paper first 
(light bulb moment) and THEN chill it in the fridge right on the cookie sheets! 
it makes so much more sense than chilling the dough in a big lump then trying to handle and roll it out when it’s too cold to work with anyways right? 


i always double this recipe, plus i use extra large cookie sheets for a larger rolling surface for the dough and for more cookie space when baking – this rolled chilled dough bakes up so nicely and the cookie shape holds perfectly


for the simple icing i combine 2-3 cups of powdered sugar with a few tablespoons of milk – just add slowly until it reaches desired consistency & add a few drops of red food coloring for pink frosting – spoon the icing into a ziploc bag and cut off a small tip from one of the corners – pipe in a zigzag pattern and sprinkle with nonpareils right away before it sets. SO GOOD.


i hope you love them & happy Valentines Day friends ♥ 

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banana chocolate chip muffins ♥


the long winter months always bring out the baker in me…
not that i don’t bake in the warmer months too, but there’s just something about 
chilly nights and snowy weather that make me want to whip up all the 
cookies, breads & muffins 


if you’re like me, then you always happen to have a couple bananas that are ripe 
on the counter yes? i sometimes wonder if my family leaves the last few 
on purpose so that i will bake somthing? 
hmm. i might be on to them 🙂


i’ve been using this recipe for a loooong time 
and i’m not sure which relative it came from, but it’s a favorite…
nothing really fancy or out of the ordinary about it – just good.
oh and it’s great with or without the chocolate chips – i make it both ways
just depends what we’re feelin’ 🙂

here it is all typed up nice & cute – it’s sized perfectly at 4×6 
for you to print and slip right into your recipe binder or box


enjoy! and let me know here in the comments if you make them!

head over there and take a peek! 😉


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our favorite chocolate chip cookies

it’s national chocolate chip cookie day &
i couldn’t let this day pass without sharing our favorite chocolate chip recipe!!
I’ve tried so many recipes over the years and have had many favorites along the way …
but this tried & true recipe (that I’ve adapted & tweaked just a tiny bit) from a bountiful kitchen has stuck with us for a few years now and is on speed dial in my recipe book 🙂

my husband and I met in college, we actually started talking because one day in class i was telling my girlfriend about a care package i had received from home that contained cookies (up until that day he was only known to me as the cute guy who sat in front of me in Bible class) his head spun right around when he heard ‘chocolate chip cookies’ … the rest is history ♥

we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary this summer and the guy still loves his chocolate chip cookies … even at Christmas time that’s his primary request.
 we sound something like this:
me: babe gonna make Christmas cookies this week
babe: oh ok, chocolate chip right? and oatmeal butterscotch?
me: no. babe those are regular during the year cookies
i’m making Christmas cookies now…
babe: oh ok. whatever. 
sooooo can you make chocolate chip for me. for Christmas. 
you know cause that’s what me and all the guys in the office like. 
oh and we like sugar cookies too. with no sprinkles. please.
me: no sprinkles = blasphemy
but ok babe. sure.
🙂

a few things i always do when i make these and pretty much any other cookie recipe …
1. i ALWAYS use parchment paper – it makes for a more evenly baked cookie 
and prevents sticking, it’s magic.
2. i ALWAYS use a cookie scoop – i mean i don’t even know what people did before the cookie scoop. 
it makes for less mess, uniform cookies & is pretty much an overall game changer.
3. for this recipe i use bread flour instead of regular flour – this substitution really happened by accident one night when i ran out of flour and only had bread flour on hand, i used it since i was in a pinch and it turned out to be the best accident ever! since the bread flour has a higher, more dense gluten composition, it makes for the PERFECT cookie – soft & chewy in the middle, slightly crispy on the outer edges … YUM.
4. i ALWAYS use milk chocolate chips – it’s really whatever your chocolate preference is, but if you like semi-sweet or dark … i’m not sure what your problem is.
🙂
if you make these cookies, pop into the comments below & let me know!
i’m pretty sure you’re going to have this recipe saved to your favorites too.
oh! and if peanut butter is your jam – this is my go-to peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe!
these are MY personal favorite ♥
the recipe page i created from Si’s recipe with my minimal changes can be downloaded  below
again, to read her original recipe you can find it here.  print this page for your recipe binders & books and pop it into a clear plastic sleeve – enjoy!

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drop sugar cookies ♥

just popping in to share a favorite cookie recipe 😉
school starts tomorrow so there’s lots to do, but over the weekend i filled the cookie jar with
they’ve been a family favorite ever since!

these cookies are so soft and yummy AND easy to make as far as sugar cookies go … i mean don’t get me wrong, we love us some basic roll em out frost & sprinkle take all day and a half to make sugar cookies – but when it’s not Christmas and you’re just in the mood for a basic sugar cookie without all the fuss – this is it.


add a little frosting and pop these in the cookie jar for the week! 
they won’t last long i promise 🙂