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Baked Banana Donuts

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Baked Banana Donuts made with warm cinnamon and nutmeg and sweet, ripe bananas and dipped in a rich dark chocolate ganache! These banana donuts are baked, not fried making them easy to make any day of the week!

Chocolate ganache covered banana donut with a bite in it on top of another donut on a rack.

Tender, moist banana donuts made right in the oven and featuring hints of warm cinnamon and nutmeg and sweet banana flavor. These banana donuts are so flavorful they’ll make you glad some of your bananas have ripened on you! If you have even more bananas leftover, definitely make my all time favorite banana bread recipe!

I’m slowly but steadily adding to my baked donut recipe collection! If you love chocolate, these Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Cake Donuts are for you! For a brighter tasting treat, I love these Lemon Blueberry Cake Donuts are the perfect treat anytime of the day or year! For a super fall flavored donut, I love Ina Garten’s Cinnamon Baked Donuts!

To make baked donuts, you’ll need a donut pan. Donut pans are basically molds with holes in the middle which give your batter a donut shape. My donut pans make six donuts, so I have two pans. Having two makes it easier to bake the whole batch at the same time!

WHY MAKE BAKED DONUTS AT HOME

  • They’re super easy to make! The batter is similar to but easier than a cake batter. No mixer is required and they bake up much faster. Also, unlike yeast doughnuts, no rising time is required.
  • There’s almost no mess to clean up. Since these are baked, not fried, there’s no messy oil to clean up or deal with.
  • They’re a little bit healthier. No oil not only makes them less messy, but also a little bit healthier.
Freshly baked banana bread donuts on a baking rack set on top of parchment paper.

HOW TO MAKE THIS BAKED BANANA DONUT RECIPE

  1. PREPARE THE DONUT PANS:  Grease the donut pans well and set aside.
  2. WHISK TO COMBINE THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
  3. COMBINE THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg, whisk together the egg and sugar til smooth and combined. Add the vanilla, milk or yogurt, mashed bananas and melted butter. Whisk this wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir til just combined. The batter will be pretty thick.
  4. FILL THE DONUT MOLDS: Use a piping bag or zip lock bag or spoon to fill the dough into the donut molds between 2/3 and 3/4 full.
  5. BAKE AND COOL: Bake donuts 8-10 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before glazing.
  6. MAKE THE GANACHE: Make the ganache while the donuts are baking or cooling.
  7. DECORATE THE DONUTS: Dunk the donuts in the ganache or spoon/drizzle it over the cooled donuts.
Baked banana donuts cooling on a rack next to a bowl of a rich chocolate glaze.

EASY DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

I can attest to the fact that these donuts are delicious plain! That said, everything is more delicious with a chocolate glaze. This glaze is super simple and very similar to the rich, sweet ganache is from my Boston cream pie cupcake recipe. The only difference was that I used dark chocolate chips instead of semi sweet and I added a little vanilla and a pinch of salt.

To make the ganache, or chocolate glaze, simply pour hot heavy cream over a bowl of chocolate chips. Let it sit for three minutes then stir til smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt.

A FEW SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS

One of my favorite things about this recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients and the steps! If you find you’re missing a few ingredients, check out these substitution options to see if there’s anything you can swap in before making an extra trip to the store!

  • Butter: I prefer melted butter for the flavor. Vegetable or canola oil is an easy swap for the butter.
  • Milk: Lots of substitution options here including buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream.
  • Nutmeg: I like the hint of nutmeg with the cinnamon. If you don’t have nutmeg, you can increase the amount of cinnamon to take its place.
  • Dark chocolate chips: Swap in chopped dark chocolate or chopped semi sweet chocolate. Semi sweet chocolate chips can also be used.
A plain banana donut on a rack surrounded by chocolate covered banana donuts.

Like most donuts, these donuts are at freshest and most flavorful if enjoyed the day they’re made. If you have any left after the first day, definitely store them in the fridge.

A batch of chocolate glaze dipped banana donuts on a cooling rack.

I hope you love the ease and deliciousness of these Baked Banana Donuts as much as I do! They’re tender, flavorful and so easy to make. I love them for dessert in the late summer or fall but have to admit they’re yummy any time of the day or year!

LOOKING FOR SOME MORE BANANA RECIPES, TRY MY:

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Baked Banana Donuts

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 12 donuts 1x
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Baked Banana Donuts made warm with cinnamon, nutmeg, and  ripe bananas and dipped in rich chocolate ganache! These banana donuts are baked, not fried making them easy to make any day of the week!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, or vegetable oil
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2–3 medium bananas)

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

  • 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt 

Instructions

FOR THE DONUTS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease donut pans well with butter (preferable- for flavor) or nonstick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
  3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar til smooth and combined. Whisk in the  vanilla, milk, mashed bananas and melted butter.
  4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 
  5. Use a piping bag or zip lock bag or spoon to fill the dough into the donut molds between 2/3 and 3/4 full.
  6. Bake 8-10 minutes until toothpick comes out dry or edges are lightly browned. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes then remove from pan and let donuts cool completely on wire rack.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

  1. Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan on low heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil then pour over the chocolate chips. Do not stir.
  2. Allow to sit for 2 minutes then stir till smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Allow to cool slightly before using.

TO DECORATE THE DONUTS

  1. Dip the cooled donuts in the glaze or drizzle the glaze over top. Set the donuts glaze side up on a cooling rack set over a sheet of parchment or wax paper to catch any drips. Allow glaze to set or enjoy right away!

Keywords: donuts, baked donuts, doughnuts, cake donuts, bananas, ganache, chocolate, dark chocolate, icing, glaze, breakfast, dessert, fruit

Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Buttercream

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This recipe for Peach Cupcakes makes incredibly soft, moist cupcakes topped with fresh peach buttercream. These cupcakes are sweetened with brown sugar and feature hints of vanilla and warm cinnamon. To make them even more delicious, each cupcake is studded with chunks of sweet seasonal peaches.

ABOUT THIS PEACH CUPCAKE RECIPE

I didn’t realize it until after I wrote this recipe, but these cupcakes were totally created with my own taste buds in mind! I love fruity desserts, moist cupcakes, and buttercream so these are like a dream dessert to me!

If you also love cupcakes, definitely check out my Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream, Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes and these chocolately Nutella Cupcakes!

For some more fruit filled desserts, check out my Blueberry Blondies, Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

WHAT MAKES THESE CUPCAKES SO MOIST?

Back to these peach cupcakes. The base of this recipe is a moist cinnamon cupcake. It’s soft and fluffy and is the perfect texture for juicy, soft peaches.

I looked to my recipe for Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips since they are super moist. I realized it was the oil in the recipe that gave them that tender, moist texture, so I decided to use oil in this peach cupcake recipe too!

HOW TO MAKE PEACH CUPCAKES

This recipe uses simple ingredients, comes together in minutes and does not require a mixer. Can’t get much easier than that!

  1. In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the sour cream or yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in and set aside.
  3. Pour the yogurt-oil mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in the chopped peaches.
  4. Fill each cupcake about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes, let the cupcakes cool, frost and enjoy!

A FEW RECIPE NOTES

  • Peaches: I haven’t used frozen or canned peaches and definitely recommend using fresh, if possible. Peel and pit the peaches and chop them into smallish pieces (about 1/4 inch). Prep your peaches before beginning the recipe so that when it comes time to add them, you have them ready.
  • Dairy Options: I wanted the ingredients to be simple and mostly stuff you already have on hand. If you have buttermilk, great, but if not, no need to make a special trip to the store for it. Use yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk. You could even make your own buttermilk substitute if you wanted to.
  • Filling the cupcake liners: The batter in this recipe makes about 18 cupcakes. To make it easier to fill the cupcake liners, use a cookie or even an ice cream scoop. It will make it easier to get cupcakes of the same size and is typically less messy than using a spoon or measuring cup.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN THE CUPCAKES ARE FINISHED BAKING

There are a couple of ways of testing for doneness. One way is to stick a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean with hardly any crumbs, the cupcakes are done.

Another way to know if your cupcakes have finished baking is to gently press the top of a cupcake. If it’s springy, they are done. Cool trick, right? If you also like baking cakes and have wondered how to know when your cake is done, check out this article from The Kitchn called “5 Ways to Tell When Your Cake is Done.”

HOW TO MAKE PEACH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

The homemade buttercream frosting is the perfect indulgent yet fresh tasting topping! This simple buttercream that is very similar to my fresh strawberry buttercream recipe. I more or less just swapped out the fresh strawberries for a fresh pureed peach.

Once you make your own buttercream frosting from scratch, you’ll probably never want to buy frosting again. It tastes so much fresher than store bought and only takes five minutes to make!

To make the frosting, you’ll need a bowl, an electric mixer and the following ingredients:

  • Room Temperature Butter: Butter that is not too soft and not too cold will help get the perfect consistency. Take the butter out no more than 20 minutes before making it.
  • A Little Salt: The recipe says a pinch. Taste it once mixed and add a bit more salt if you think it’s needed.
  • Powdered Sugar: Even though it’s going to go into a mixer, I highly recommend sifting it first. It only takes a minute and makes sure you don’t have any little bumps of powdered sugar in your frosting.
  • Vanilla: For flavor and it ties in with the flavor of the cupcakes.
  • Heavy Cream Or Milk: Optional. If you need to thin the frosting out a bit.
  • A Lightly Pureed Peach: Pit and peel the peach then puree it. A food processor works best to puree it.

HOW TO DECORATE THESE PEACH CUPCAKES

USE FOOD COLORING OR KEEP IT NATURAL

I tinted my frosting with a few drops of food coloring. I don’t usually use food coloring and you can definitely keep them natural if you like. To get that light peach color, I used several drops of yellow and one drop of red. The one drop of red will make it look pink but I stirred in a few more drops of yellow until I got to the peach color I wanted.

CREATING A FLAT SWIRL

I wanted a blossomy look to my frosting, so I used my Wilton 1M tip to pipe that flat swirl. Simply start in the middle and pipe in a swirl til you get to the edge.

OTHER WAYS TO PIPE THE FROSTING ON

With its peach specks, this frosting will look amazing however you frost your cupcakes. Use your favorite frosting tip. In addition to a flat swirl, I’ve made them with both my Wilton 6B and Ateco 808).

USE AN ICE CREAM OR COOKIE SCOOP

Short on time or pastry bags/tips? You can still make em super cute by using an ice cream scoop or even a smaller cookie scoop full of frosting on top! I see this style more and more in bakeries these days and love it!

HOW TO STORE PEACH CUPCAKES

These peach cupcakes are delicious cold or at room temperature. Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator in an air tight container.

PERFECT ANYTIME TREATS

I’m loving these cupcakes with fresh, in season peaches. Everything just tastes better and just feels more like a treat when it’s in season, right? That said, these are delicious year round! For another delicious peach recipe, it does not get more delicious than Ina Garten’s Fresh Peach Cake!

I also think that, like my Lemon Blueberry Muffins, these peach cupcakes would make a delicious breakfast. Just stop short of frosting them and they make perfect breakfast muffins! Now that I think about it, they could definitely go on my Pinterest board called Breakfast or Dessert?!

For a bit of juicy sweet peach flavor in every bite, you must make these Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Buttercream! Nothing tastes as good as homemade or in season fruit and these happen to be as easy as store bought! Hope you enjoy these delicious cupcakes and that you enjoy the rest of the summer!

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Peach Cupcakes

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Total Time: 43 minutes
  • Yield: About 18 cupcakes 1x
  • Category: Desserts, Cupcakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These from scratch Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Buttercream are moist, soft and delicious! Made with juicy peaches, brown sugar and cinnamon, and topped with homemade frosting, each bite is irresistibly delicious!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES

  • 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk
  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups finely diced peaches)

FOR THE PEACH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
  • 1/4 cup pureed peach, about 1 peach, peeled, pitted and pureed 
  • a pinch of salt

Instructions

FOR THE CUPCAKES

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tin with liners.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the sour cream or yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in and set aside.
  4. Pour the yogurt-oil mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in the chopped peaches.
  5. Evenly distribute the batter by filling each cupcake liner between 2/3 and  3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a cupcake. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

FOR THE PEACH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl now and after each addition of powdered sugar. Turn mixer to low and add 1 cup of the powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar.
  2. Turn the mixer up to medium and mix in the vanilla. Add the peach puree and whip on medium until combined. If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thin, add milk or heavy cream. 

Notes

If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thin, add milk or heavy cream. 

Keywords: cupcakes, peach, peaches, fruit, fresh fruit, buttercream, frosting, icing, peach buttercream, peach cupcakes,

Blueberry Blondies

by

A batch of lemon blueberry blondies cut into squares and topped with sweet lemon icing.

Blueberry Blondies….because moist, golden blondies are always a good idea, especially with fresh lemon juice, zest, and a hint of cardamom. Studded with a generous cup of fresh, in season blueberries, these bars are finished with the easiest sweet-tart lemon icing. They’re gooey, buttery, so pretty and the perfect sweet treat for summer days!

BLONDIES

When I think of gooey, buttery desserts, brownies such as my rich tahini brownies or s’mores brownies automatically come to mind. That said, I do love a good blondie! I don’t know if I’d go as far as this bold article from delish.com which argues why blondies are better than brownies (!) but I do agree that blondies are pretty great!

My favorite point the author makes is that blondies are almost always homemade which is something I never thought about. It’s so true though, you almost never see boxed blondie mixes!

I recently made my flavorful coconut butterscotch blondies and realized they were the only blondie recipe on my site. I decided it was time for a new blondie recipe and was excited to try them with blueberries!

Delicious blueberry lemon blondies with lots of blueberries and lemon icing and glaze on top.

BAKING WITH BLUEBERRIES

There’s something so warm and comforting about baking with blueberries. They’re juicy, delicious and just lovely to bite into! Whenever I bake with blueberries, I almost always include lemon. Both their flavors and colors are so bright, cheery, and summery that I always want to pair them together. My Lemon Blueberry Baked Donuts are so tender and flavorful and these Lemon Blueberry Muffins are as close to bakery style as I’ve come with any muffin so far!

Blondies are typically on the rich side and desserts with blueberries are usually lighter and fresher which lands these blueberry blondies somewhere in between. They’re super moist and buttery yet full of juicy, fresh flavor! The blueberries almost give these blondies a bit of a a coffee cake taste to them. Does that mean it’s okay to have blondies for breakfast?!

In addition to vanilla, these blondies are flavored with one of my favorite spices: cardamom. You can’t quite pinpoint cardamom’s flavor, but it adds to the warmth and can’t put it down flavor of these bars!

Brown sugar in a blue bowl next to some melted butter in a white bowl.

HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY LEMON BLONDIES?

The fact that these bars are super easy to throw together makes them perfect for summertime! They’re an easy, sweet treat that lets you keep things simple and leaves you tons of time to be outdoors.

To make them, start by combining melted butter and brown sugar. Whisk in an egg and some vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blueberries and mix just til combined then pour it into your pan.

That’s it! Two bowls, well you could even skip the bowl for the dry ingredients and add everything directly to the wet mixture. Also, no mixer. It’s that easy. The batter seriously comes together in minutes, does not take much effort and leaves you with a minimal mess to clean up.

Blondies cut into squares next to a small bowl of blueberries and lemon halves.
White lemon icing with lots of lemon zest in a white bowl with a spoon in it.

EASY LEMON ICING

I can attest to the fact that these blondies are delicious plain! That said, I loved the added sweetness of this easy lemon icing. It also brings out all the lemon flavor inside the bars!

To make the icing, you just stir together some powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest until smooth. No need to sift the powdered sugar since it’ll pretty much dissolve/melt with the lemon juice.

Delicious lemon blueberry blondies topped with a lemon glaze and some icing and blueberries nearby.

Use a spoon to just drizzle the icing over the cooled bars. If you prefer your icing on the thicker side and find that the spoon doesn’t drizzle the icing the way you’d like, try a sandwich bag. Just scoop or pour the icing into a little bag and snip a little corner. Use the bag to pipe/drizzle the icing over the bars.

This tart, sweet icing is the same icing I used for both my Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars and Sour Cream Lemon Cookies! They’re so delicious and so are these donuts!

Blondies with baked blueberries and lemon with a spoon and lemon halves nearby.
A close up of golden, blondies baked with fresh blueberries and lemon lemon.
Lemon icing drizzled on top of a batch of blondies baked with blueberries.

Warm, tender, sweet and moist, these blueberry blondies are proof that fruit goes well with blondies. Make them when you’re craving something fruity, gooey and delicious!

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Blueberry Blondies

★★★★★ 4.5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 33 minutes
  • Total Time: 53 minutes
  • Yield: 12 to 16 blondies 1x
  • Category: Desserts, Bars
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These moist, gooey Blueberry Blondies are full of lemon flavor and bursting with fresh blueberries. Flavored with vanilla and cardamom and finished with a sweet-tart lemon icing! 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 cup blueberries

FOR THE LEMON ICING

  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more if needed to thicken
  • 1 1/4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • zest of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with enough parchment paper to create an overhang of at least two inches on two sides.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar until combined. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and the egg and whisk to combine. With a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
  4. Pour the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
  5. Bake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs when inserted in the center of the blondies. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow blondies to cool completely in the pan.

FOR THE LEMON ICING

  1. In a medium sized bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Add the lemon zest and juice and use a whisk or spoon to combine. Add additional powdered sugar as needed to thicken the icing. 

Keywords: blueberries, blondies, fruit, bars, cardamom

Mixed Berry Galette

by

Made with all your favorite fresh summer berries, hints of lemon and ginger, and a buttery, homemade pie crust, this mixed berry galette is the best summertime dessert. It’s full of seasonal flavor, super delicious and also happens to be easy to make! It has a rustic looking crust and, unlike pies, it has its pretty filling on full display! Use all of one fruit or mix four berries together like I did, either way it’ll be beautiful and SO good!

Galettes are so cool. They look fancy and rustic at the same time. Unlike pies, with their bottom and top crust, a galette has only the bottom crust. This makes it easier to make. No crimping or trimming necessary. Bonus: no top crust lets you see all the prettiness baked inside.

MORE ABOUT THIS GALETTE

Making a galettes consists of three main steps: making the pie crust, making the filling, assembling and baking.

MAKING THE PIE CRUST

The pie crust takes only minutes to come together and your food processor does most of the work. There are just a few things to keep in mind when making the crust.

COLD BUTTER AND COLD WATER

The first thing is to use cold butter and cold water. To ensure that both are cold, chop the butter into cubes and refrigerate it while you measure out the rest of your ingredients. For the water, swirl an ice cube around in a bowl of cold water.

HOW MUCH WATER

Add the water in a tablespoon at a time while you pulse it into the dry ingredients. You’ll add about 4-6 tablespoons of water until you see that the dough is just coming together.

FLATTEN AND CHILL

Shape your dough into a disk or square about 1″ thick. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

MAKING THE FILLING

CHOOSING YOUR BERRIES

This filling is pure fresh berry deliciousness! The cool thing is that you can use what you like and have. I used blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries.

You can use all of one berry or mix them or use a cup of one and a half a cup of others. I find that three cups is the best amount of berries, so use enough of whatever berry/berries to total three cups.

You could even make this with sliced peaches or other stone fruit. The only change to the recipe would be that you’d want to add about a tablespoon or so more cornstarch.

THE FLAVOR FOR THE FILLING

GINGER AND GINGER SUBSTITUTE

I love fresh ginger here since we are using fresh berries. The strong flavor of fresh ginger mellows out while it bakes but you definitely still taste it. If you don’t have fresh ginger or want to try a different flavor, leave the ginger out and add a teaspoon of vanilla.

SUGAR

I used light brown sugar, but dark brown or granulated can also be used.

ASSEMBLING THE GALETTE

ROLLING OUT THE CRUST

Rolling the crust out between two sheets of parchment paper makes it so much easier to roll out and to transfer to your baking sheet. Be sure to be gentle with your crust while rolling it.

Start rolling the center and work your way out in all directions. Roll the dough out into whatever shape you like. Aim to get your crust to about 1/8 inch thickness.

The more rustic, homemade looking the better! This means there’s no need to trim the edges or worry if it’s not 100% even.

ADDING THE FILLING

OPTIONAL LAYER OF JAM

For even more flavor, you can spread a thin layer of your favorite jam over the bottom of the crust before adding the filling!

STRAIN YOUR FILLING

Before adding the filling, make sure to strain the juices. This could mean you simply use a slotted spoon to place the berries on the crust. I like to just pour the filling into a strainer prior to using it.

FOLDING THE EDGES

LEAVING A BORDER

You’ll want to leave at least a 1 to 2 inch border so that you can fold the crust over the filling. If you find the filling is piling up in the middle, extend the border to just 1 inch so that the filling is more of one even layer. Otherwise, try to keep the border to about 1 1/2 inches.

You might have to overlap parts of the border as you go. It also might look a little jagged or uneven. In my opinion, those little imperfections add to the homemade charm!

EGG WASH AND COARSE SUGAR

Brush your edges with a beaten egg and sprinkle gently with some coarse sugar. I use turbinado sugar. It adds a pretty sparkle, a light crunch and sweet flavor.

CHILL BRIEFLY THEN BAKE

CHILL BEFORE BAKING

Once assembled, place the galette in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before baking.

BAKING THE GALETTE

Bake in the oven until the crust is nice and golden brown and the fruit and its liquid is bubbling in the middle. Let it rest on the baking sheet for at least ten minutes so that the filling doesn’t pour out too much when cut.

SERVING YOUR GALETTE

This galette is best enjoyed warm or at room temperature. My preference is straight out of the oven (after waiting ten minutes)!

It’s delicious as is, but for added sweetness and to make it even more of a treat, add a scoop of ice cream on top of each slice!

And that’s all there is to it! Make this mixed berry with your favorite in season berries and make one for your friends with their favorite fruit combination! You’ll love this super summer-tasting filling baked into this buttery delicious crust!

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Mixed Berry Galette

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6–8 slices 1x
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Made with all your favorite fruit, hints of lemon and ginger, and a buttery, homemade pie crust, this mixed berry galette is the best summertime dessert.

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

  • 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3–5 tablespoons cold water

FOR THE FILLING

  • 1 cup blackberries
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 1/2 cup strawberries, halved or quartered
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (alternatively 1 teaspoon of vanilla can be used)
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Chop butter into cubes and place in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Fill a small bowl with some cold water and an ice cube. Stir the ice cube around a bit and set bowl aside.
  3. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the dough forms pea sized balls. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and the ice water a tablespoon at a time while continuing to pulse mixture until mixture is just combined.
  4. Divide dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently form and press down on the dough into a disk or square shape and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. While the dough chills, prepare the filling. In a medium sized bowl, gently mix together the berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, ginger (or vanilla), and salt.
  6. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll dough out into a 1/8 inch thick circle or rectangle or any rustic shape. The edges can be left ragged, no need to trim them since galettes are typically rustic looking. Transfer dough to a baking sheet.
  7. Place filling in a strainer or use a slotted spoon to spoon the fruit (minus the juices) onto the dough, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Try to spread the fruit out into one even layer rather than a big heaping pile. Fold edges and gently press down to seal the dough. Brush the edges with the egg wash and generously sprinkle with coarse sugar. Refrigerate for 15 minutes then bake for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling in the middle. Allow to cool for ten minutes on the baking sheet then serve with or without ice cream!

Keywords: galette, fruit, berries, mixed berries, pie, pastry, dough, raspberries, blueberries, strawberry, blackberry

Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

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Vanilla cupcakes with strawberries baked inside and with pink strawberry buttercream frosting piped on top.

Moist, extra juicy and super sweet Strawberry Filled Cupcakes are the most delicious way to celebrate summer! Made with the easiest vanilla cupcake batter with a whole strawberry baked inside! They’re topped with the simplest fresh strawberry buttercream. Bonus: these cupcakes are super easy to make. You just need some basic pantry ingredients and the freshest, sweetest strawberries you can find!

THE BEST SUMMER DESSERT

Ok….they might come in a first place tie with strawberry shortcake for best summer dessert. If you’re looking for something similar to but a little different than strawberry shortcake, look no further!

These cupcakes are so pretty, both inside and out. The strawberries become perfectly roasted as the cupcakes bake and give a burst of color, juice and sweet flavor with every bite!

A cupcake sliced in half with a roasted strawberry in the middle and topped with frosting.

MORE STRAWBERRY DESSERTS

Is there anything better than in season strawberries? I make my Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars year round, but they are by far the best when made with in season berries!

Another sweet way to cool down and enjoy some strawberries is definitely with my sweet, creamy No Churn Raspberry and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream! For my fellow Americans, check out the most delicious American Flag Cake with Fruit featuring blueberries for the stars and, of course, chopped strawberries as stripes!

I have to share one more strawberry recipe that I will definitely be making this summer and that is this Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake! I love how it’s fancy and simple at the same time plus it looks delicious!

Cupcakes topped with pink strawberry buttercream on a wooden tray in front of a jug of milk.

ABOUT THESE CUPCAKES

THE BATTER

I used my great grandmother’s tried and true vanilla cake recipe for these cupcakes. I first tested it out as cupcakes for my Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes. It’s a super simple, straight forward, foolproof recipe.

THE STRAWBERRIES

As delicious as the cupcake batter and frosting are, the strawberries in the centers are the real stars of the show! That said, use the freshest, sweetest, most beautiful berries you can get your hands on! You can use any shape or size. I tried to choose medium sized berries and chose the freshest, reddest ones out of my bunch. Cut the tops off and remove the white cores.

Vanilla cupcake batter in a muffin tin with whole strawberries in the middle.

ADDING THE STRAWBERRIES IN THE MIDDLES

Once you have the batter mixed, spoon two tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner. Next, place one berry in the middle of each cupcake then spoon one more tablespoon of batter around it. This is not at all hard, but it is….a little awkward…. Why? Because you want to use a hand or a finger to kind of hold the berry standing up straight in the middle while gently pouring the batter around it.

I spoon that last tablespoon in by dropping three teaspoons in around the sides of the berry/cupcake. I add it by the teaspoon since the teaspoon is smaller and easier to slide in there and three teaspoons make a tablespoon. After I get that last amount of batter in, I just smooth over the tops gently with my finger.

Cupcakes with strawberries baked in the centers and swirls of strawberry frosting on top!

The strawberry in the middle of these cupcakes definitely reminds me of my Cupcakes with Hearts in the Middle recipe! They’re the cutest cupcakes baked with a red velvet heart in the middle. For a chocolate stuffed cupcake, definitely try these Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream!

Vanilla cupcakes topped with homemade strawberry frosting with milk jugs in the background.

HOW TO MAKE THE STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

To make the frosting, you’ll need a bowl, an electric mixer and the following ingredients:

  • Room Temperature Butter: Butter that is not too soft and not too cold will help get the perfect consistency. Take the butter out no more than 20 minutes before making it.
  • A Little Salt
  • Powdered Sugar: Even though it’s going to go into a mixer, I highly recommend sifting it first. It only takes a minute and makes sure you don’t have any little bumps of powdered sugar in your frosting.
  • Vanilla: For flavor and it ties in with the flavor of the cupcakes.
  • Heavy Cream Or Milk: Optional. If you need to thin the frosting out a bit.
  • Lightly Pureed Strawberries: They add flavor and color and hint at the big roasted strawberry tucked inside! See below for more info on the strawberries.
Pretty pink strawberry buttercream frosting in a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment.

PUREED STRAWBERRIES

I’d recommend a few pulses in a food processor for the strawberries. It chops them up into perfectly sized specks which look so pretty when piped on cupcakes!

I used a blender the first time I made these and I found it too much liquid when fully pureed. As a result, I had to add a lot more powdered sugar to thicken it up. If you do use a blender, just use the chop option and very briefly.If you don’t have a food processor, finely chopping the berries is also an option.

I like to core the strawberries before pureeing them. This just means cutting out the tops and the white part in the top/middle. It doesn’t have any flavor and I’d rather have only the parts that add color/flavor.

FROM PINK TO MORE PINK

I’ve made this recipe several times now and have experimented with the color and amount of strawberries. Whether you make it light pink or bright pink will just depend on the amount of strawberry you add.

Add additional pureed strawberries a little at a time because they will change both the color and consistency. Add berries until you get the color and consistency you like.

FRESH OR ROASTED STRAWBERRIES

I recently put a poll on my Instagram to find out if people would prefer fresh or roasted strawberries in this buttercream recipe. I thought it would be kind of split, but an overwhelming majority of people voted for fresh!

Homemade strawberry filled cupcakes topped with strawberry frosting on parchment paper.

FROSTING THE CUPCAKES

PIPE IT ON

With its strawberry specks and pretty pink color, this frosting will look amazing however you frost your cupcakes. Use your favorite frosting tip (I’ve made them with both my Wilton 6B and Ateco 808).

USE AN ICE CREAM OR COOKIE SCOOP

Short on time or pastry bags/tips? You can still make em super cute by using an ice cream scoop or even a smaller cookie scoop full of frosting on top! I see this style more and more in bakeries these days and love it!

DOUBLE THE RECIPE IF YOU LIKE

This recipe makes 8 cupcakes, but can easily be doubled. I settled on 8 for now since we are still somewhat in social distancing days and most people don’t have a need for 16 or 18 cupcakes. That said, it’s perfectly easy to double the amount. There is an option to double the recipe below or just use the recipe from my Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes.

A strawberry cupcake cut in half revealing a strawberry inside topped with pink buttercream.

These Strawberry Filled Cupcakes are so pretty and easy to make. They’re baked with whole strawberries in the centers and topped with the prettiest, freshest strawberry buttercream! They’re fun to make and even more fun to eat!

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strawberry cupcakes with strawberries baked inside and swirls of strawberry frosting on top!

Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: About 8 cupcakes 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Cupcakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Make these delicious Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream for the perfect summer dessert! Like strawberry shortcakes, these from scratch cupcakes have ALL the strawberry flavor. Featuring a whole strawberry roasted inside each cupcake and fresh strawberry buttercream, you’ll want to make this summer dessert all year long!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES

  • 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour 
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  • Strawberries (8 whole, hulled)

FOR THE STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

  • 3 fresh strawberries, hulled, lightly purred
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • pinch of salt 
  • 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (add more, if needed, to thicken)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream (if needed, to thin out frosting)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place paper liners in muffin tins.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar with a mixer for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after the addition of each egg.
  5. Alternatively add the dry ingredient mixture and milk to the sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  6. Fill cupcake liners with 2 tbsp of the batter. Place one strawberry in the middle of each cupcake. With one hand, hold the berry in place and with the other hand, carefully our one more tablespoon of batter around the strawberry. 
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake. Cool for about ten minutes in the muffin tins and then remove to a rack to cool completely.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY FROSTING

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl now and after each addition of powdered sugar. Turn mixer to low and add 1 cup of the powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar.
  2. Turn the mixer up to medium and mix in the vanilla. Add the strawberries and whip on medium until combined. If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thin, add milk or heavy cream. 

Notes

For more of a pink frosting, add a bit more strawberries. 

Keywords: Strawberries, strawberry, cupcakes, strawberry filled, frosting, icing, buttercream, fruit, summer

Mango Raspberry Popsicles

by

These mango raspberry popsicles are everything you want in a summer treat: they’re fun, creamy, delicious and refreshing! They also happen to be made with fruit and yogurt which, compared to ice cream and most sugar-loaded popsicles, makes them pretty healthy! The fact that the recipe is super easy to make too means my freezer stocked with these all summer long!

WHY MAKE HOMEMADE POPSICLES

It’s almost June which means it’s time for some frozen treats! You can buy popsicles at the store, but I definitely prefer making my own! It’s a fun and creative thing to do with or without kids. Nothing beats the feeling of taking them out of the mold to see how they turned out and then getting to eat your creations!

Homemade popsicles are also healthier than most store bought popsicles. You can fill them with fruit and yogurt and add as much of whatever natural sweetener you prefer. Plus they don’t have any artificial coloring/ingredients.

This is my second popsicle recipe so far this summer. I made these yummy, super healthy Fruit Yogurt popsicles last week. They’re similar to this recipe but don’t have any cream cheese and have more of a swirl to them!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE HOMEMADE POPSICLES

In addition to a popsicle mold, you’ll need either a blender or food processor to puree the fruit and combine the yogurt and cream cheese. I find the food processor easier for this recipe because it’s easier to scrape the yogurt mixture out of instead of a blender.

INGREDIENTS FOR THESE FRUIT YOGURT POPSICLES

  • Raspberries: fresh or frozen
  • Mango: fresh or frozen
  • Greek yogurt: preferably vanilla which will add flavor. It’s pretty neutral color-wise too which I like because it allows the colors of the fruit to really pop! Also, I prefer full-fat since it makes the popsicles creamier.
  • Cream cheese: Only need a little, but it adds to the creaminess and richness of the popsicles.
  • Sweetener: Use honey, maple syrup, or sugar. I used honey and loved it! Add sweetener to taste. I recommend about 2-3 tablespoons.

MORE ABOUT THE FRUIT

FRESH OR FROZEN

I was planning to make my popsicles with fresh mango, but honestly wanted to eat the mango as is! I went with frozen fruit and it worked just fine!

If you have some really yummy fresh fruit that you want to enjoy as is, definitely try using frozen for this recipe! If you do use fresh fruit such as freshly picked strawberries, make sure to use the ripest possible.

FRUIT SWAPS

Feel free to change the type of fruit to what you like/have. I love the colors and flavors of the raspberry and mango together. If you like mango, I would suggest keeping it because in addition to color and flavor, it makes the popsicles even creamier!

HOW TO MAKE THE POPSICLES

To make the popsicles, follow these easy steps:

  1. Blend the cream cheese, yogurt and sweetener.
  2. Puree the mango.
  3. Puree the raspberries.
  4. Add half the cream cheese-yogurt mixture to the raspberries and half to the mango. Test the sweetness. Add more sweetener if desired.
  5. Spoon/pour the mixture into the popsicle mold. Wipe off any spills and let them freeze for 4-6 hours.

I hope you enjoy making and eating these mango raspberry popsicles as much as I did! They’re easy and fun to make and are super creamy, fruit-filled and delicious! The perfect colorful treat to help you cool down this summer!

FOR MORE DELICIOUS FRUIT DESSERTS, CHECK OUT MY:

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Mango Raspberry Popsicles

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 hours
  • Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 popsicles 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Popsicles
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These healthy Mango Raspberry Popsicles are the perfect refreshing summer treat! Creamy, tangy, and sweet, they’re also super fun and easy to make!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mango, peeled, pitted and cubed
  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2–3 tablespoons honey, maple syrup or sugar

Instructions

  1. Pulse the chopped mango in a blender or food processor until pureed. Pour into a small bowl.
  2. Rinse the blender or food processor and puree the raspberry. Pour into a small bowl. Rinse blender or food processor again.
  3. Pulse the yogurt, cream cheese and sweetener of your choice in a blender or food processor until combined and smooth. Stir half of the mixture into the pureed mango and the other half into the pureed raspberry. You may wish to add a bit more sweetener to the raspberry-yogurt mixture as raspberries can be a bit more tart than the mango. 
  4. Spoon the mixture into the popsicle molds. as you like. You can make some all raspberry and with a little mango or vice versa. To make the block design, alternate pouring two tablespoons of one flavor. Place the cover on and sticks inside and freeze 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve. run the molds under hot water for about 20 seconds or leave them out at room temperature for about 5 minutes to make it easier to remove them. Enjoy!

Notes

If you’d like to be able to see bits of fruit in the popsicle, reserve a little bit of mango or raspberries or use additional fruit. Just drop it in where you’d like to see it in the popsicle. 

Keywords: popsicles, mango, raspberry, fruit, yogurt, cream cheese, frozen desserts, ice cream, dessert, greek yogurt

Fruit Yogurt Popsicles

by

Finally! Some nice weather here in Ottawa. That means it’s time for some cool and colorful treats! These nutritious fruit yogurt popsicles are the perfect seasonal, refreshing treat! With just two (or three if you add a sweetner) ingredients, they make a simple, easy dessert or any time of the day option!

ABOUT YOGURT POPSICLES

When it comes to frozen desserts, it doesn’t get much easier, healthier or more delicious than yogurt popsicles!

  • EASY: Just stir together flavored yogurt and fruit, pour it into molds, and freeze! Two simple ingredients (three if you add a sweetener)!
  • HEALTHY: Filled with vitamins, calcium, protein and antioxidants! Plus no artificial sweeteners or dyes!
  • DELICIOUS: Creamy, tasty yogurt and bursts of flavorful fruit!
Colorful raspberry and yogurt swirled popsicles on a counter and frozen raspberries

HOW TO MAKE YOGURT POPSICLES

These homemade yogurt popsicles can be made with a swirl design and flavor or with the yogurt and fruit all mixed together. They’ll be beautiful and delicious either way!

WITH A POPSICLE MOLD

This is my first year with a popsicle mold and I love it. I like the size and shape of the popsicles it makes. It also makes making popsicles super easy.

WITHOUT A POPSICLE MOLD

You can also make these without a popsicle mold! Just pour the mixture into dixie cups, cover them with aluminum foil and stick the sticks in.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

Follow the recipe exactly or make your own variation according to your taste preference or what you have in the fridge or freezer!

Yogurt: I used regular vanilla. Flavored Greek yogurt is a great option too. Greek yogurt popsicles are delicious and super creamy! Whatever type you use, I would recommend using full fat and flavored yogurt since we are not adding a ton of other ingredients.

Fruit: I used frozen raspberries. I thawed them slightly then tossed them in the blender for just a couple of pulses. If you’re using fresh, you can get away with just giving them a couple of rough chops or simply stirring them into the yogurt is fine.

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Fruit Yogurt Popsicles

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 hours
  • Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 popsicles 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These healthy fruit yogurt popsicles are the perfect refreshing summer treat! With just two or three ingredients, they make an easy, delicious dessert or any time of the day treat!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups raspberries, (or fruit of your choice), semi pureed or chopped
  • 2 1/4 cups vanilla yogurt, regular or Greek yogurt
  • 2–3 tablespoons honey,  maple syrup, or granulated sugar, to taste

Instructions

  1.  In a medium sized bowl, add the yogurt. Add the raspberries (either whole or slightly pureed). For a marbled look, give them just a few stirs or stir completely if you like.  
  2. Taste and add honey or maple syrup if desired. 
  3. Spoon the mixture into the popsicle molds. Place the cover on and sticks inside and freeze 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve. run the molds under warm water for at least 15 seconds to make it easier to remove them. Enjoy!

Keywords: Popsicles, raspberry, yogurt, raspberries, fruit, frozen, dessert, summer, berries

Giant Strawberry Pop Tart

by

Your eyes are not deceiving you- this really is a giant strawberry pop tart! Yep-a nine portion version of one of your favorite childhood treats! Just like the original, but instead of warming it in your toaster, you’ll bake it fresh in your oven. It has a tender, super delicious crust, is bursting with strawberry jam and topped with the easiest, most delicious icing and some fun, rainbow sprinkles!

WHY MAKE A GIANT POP TART?

Social distancing definitely has me craving comfort food. One comfort food I used to love to tear into as a kid are pop tarts. I love baking with strawberries (check out my incredibly yummy roasted strawberry crumb bars), and love strawberry pop tarts, so went with strawberry pop tarts!

Blueberry is also a favorite pie/pop tart filling of mine. If you love blueberry, you’ll love my blueberry cream cheese pound cake filled with homemade blueberry sauce!

A giant homemade strawberry pop tart with icing and sprinkles on top!

My first batch of pop tarts were really good, but they seemed a more like regular hand pies. I wanted my pop tarts to be a bit more special with lead me to……a giant pop tart!

THIS GIANT POP TART IS:

  • Fun! Fun to make, look at and eat!
  • Like Real Pop Tarts: They have a similar pastry and jam filling and really look like a giant pop tart.
  • Cleaner and Fresher: No need for preservatives and you’ll taste a huge difference in freshness.
  • A Perfect Dessert: It wouldn’t be too cool to serve real pop tarts for dessert, but a giant pop tart is basically like serving a pie! Also, unlike real pop tarts, this giant lets you choose between middle and edge pieces!
Slices of a homemade strawberry pop tart

HOW TO MAKE A GIANT POP TART

This giant pop tart can be homemade or semi homemade with the help of store bought jam and/or pie crust.

HOW TO MAKE THE SEMI HOMEMADE VERSION

For semi homemade, you can skip making the pie crust and jam and go straight to assembling your pop tart. It’s definitely a great option that’ll save you some time and spare you some dish washing.

I recommend you still make the icing because I’m not sure what you’d buy as a substitute and it is literally the easiest icing you can make.

A handwritten recipe for pie crust out of a family cookbook.

HOW TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE VERSION

To make homemade pop tarts, you’ll need to start by making a pie crust. I start with this step because it needs a couple of hours in the fridge before it’s ready to be used.

ABOUT THE PIE CRUST

I started with my great grandmother’s recipe (pictured above), but made a few tweaks to it. I added some sugar and replaced the lard with more butter.

PIE DOUGH TEMPERATURE

The most important thing to keep in mind when making the dough is to keep the ingredients and dough cold. Bon Appetit has a cool article on the why and the how of keeping pie dough cold.

When making the dough, I like to first cut my butter into cubes and then stick it back in the fridge while I measure out my dry ingredients.

A ball of handmade pastry dough on plastic wrap.

MAKING THE DOUGH

Start by pulsing together the dry ingredients in a food processor so that they’re mixed together. Next, pulse in the chopped butter followed by the ice water.

Swirling an ice cube around in your cold water is a good idea because sometimes cold water straight from the tap is more room temperature. Add the water in a tablespoon at a time while you pulse it into the dry ingredients. You’ll add about 4-5 tablespoons of water until you see that the dough is just coming together. You definitely don’t want it to be wet/sticky.

It’s even helpful to have two sheets of plastic wrap already on the counter and ready for some dough to land on it. Just divide the dough in half, gently push down on the dough to form two disks, wrap each disk up nicely with the plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.

MAKING THE JAM

I like to make the jam after the dough since it doesn’t need as much fridge time. Putting the jam in the fridge allows it to cool and also helps it thicken up a bit more.

A delicious slice of a homemade giant pop tart loaded with strawberry jam and topped with sprinkles.

ROLLING OUT THE DOUGH

Once your dough is chilled and ready to go, you’ll want to have the following tools:

  • a ruler
  • a well floured rolling pin
  • a sharp knife or pizza cutter: for trimming the edges
  • a parchment paper lined baking sheet
  • a pastry brush or two: one for brushing the egg wash and one for brushing off excess flour off your dough

Be gentle when rolling out your dough and transferring it to the baking sheet. At the same time, don’t worry if it’s not the perfect 9″ x 12″ rectangle. It’s homemade and some of the beauty of homemade is seeing the imperfections.

Once your dough is rolled out, spread the jam leaving about a 1 ” border. Brush the border with egg wash, but don’t discard the egg wash since you’ll use it on the top of the pop tart to help it get nice and golden when it bakes.

Pie crust rolled out in a rectangle covered with bright red strawberry jam.

Once your top layer is on, go ahead and trim any extra dough if needed. Use your fingertips to gently press the edges together and then use a fork to press indentations in the edges. This part is fun because you really start to see it look like a pop tart.

Next, you’ll put some holes in the top of your tart to allow steam to release as it bakes. You could do larger slits as you would with a pie, but I like the small holes to keep it looking more like a pop tart. Make the holes with a toothpick or the tines of a fork.

A big homemade pop tart brushed with egg on a baking sheet.

Almost done! Just pop it in the fridge for another half hour then brush it with egg wash and bake it!

The icing will take you all of two minutes to make. Just stir together powdered sugar, heavy cream, milk and vanilla. I like the richness that heavy cream adds but if you don’t have any, you can still make the icing with milk in place of heavy cream.

Feel free to drizzle the icing over top or spoon and spread it. Sprinkles are optional but highly recommended!

A simple powdered sugar icing in a white bowl with a spoon.
An overhead view of a strawberry pop tart sliced into rectangles.

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR POP TARTS

To serve, cut pop tarts into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Since it was baked as a giant loaded with filling, it tends to work better when served on a plate rather than hand held!

A close up of a homemade pop tart filled with homemade strawberry jam on a plate.

This giant strawberry pop tart really is the coolest, most fun seasonal dessert to make this spring or summer! It’s a retro treat that’ll take you back to your childhood while allowing you to enjoy some delicious, seasonal strawberry flavor!

FOR MORE FRUIT FILLED DESSERTS, CHECK OUT MY:

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Giant Strawberry Pop Tart

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 1 Giant pop tart, 9 individual pop tarts 1x
  • Category: Desserts, Baking
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This Giant Strawberry Pop Tart recipe is an easy, homemade version of a comfort food classic dessert! Includes recipes for delicious, from scratch pie dough and strawberry jam and options for easy store bought swap outs! All coated in a simple, super easy icing and topped with rainbow sprinkles!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE JAM FILLING (Use recipe below or about 1 cup store bought jam)

  • 3 cups strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
  • 1/4–1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 1/2– 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE CRUST (Use recipe below or store bought pie crust)

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 4–5 tablespoons ice cold water

FOR THE EGG WASH

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon milk

FOR THE ICING

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE DECORATION

  • Rainbow sprinkles 

Instructions

FOR THE STRAWBERRY JAM FILLING

  1. Add the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, zest, salt and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often for 5-7 minutes or until jam thickens. Stir in vanilla then pour jam into a bowl. Place bowl in the fridge to cool. Jam will continue to thicken as it cools. 

FOR THE DOUGH

  1. Chop butter into cubes and place in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Fill a small bowl with some cold water and an ice cube. Stir the ice cube around a bit and set bowl aside.
  3. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the dough forms pea sized balls. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time while continuing to pulse mixture until it is just combined. 
  4. Divide dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Loosely wrap each ball in plastic wrap and gently press each dough ball into a disk shape. Place each disk in the fridge for at least two hours or up to two days. 
  5. When ready to assemble pop tart, remove the dough from the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, generously flour your counter, and prepare your egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk. Set aside. 
  6. Roll the first disk out on your floured counter into a rectangle about 1/8″ thickness and 9″ x 12″ in size. If needed, use a pizza cutter or knife to trim the edges.
  7. Gently transfer dough to the baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the fridge. Roll out second disk the same size as the first one. 
  8. Spoon the jam onto the crust and spread it with the back of your spoon or an offset spatula, leaving about a one inch border. Brush the edges of the bottom layer with the egg wash. Carefully place the top crust over the bottom crust. Gently press the edges of the dough with your finger tips to seal the top and bottom crusts together. Use a fork to crimp all the edges. (Lightly dip fork in flour if needed to prevent sticking). Use a fork or a toothpick to poke holes throughout the dough and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  9. Remove dough from fridge and brush allover with the egg wash. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before icing. 

FOR THE ICING

  1. Stir together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Pour and spread over the pop tart. Top with sprinkles as desired!

 

Keywords: pop tart, pop tarts, giant pop tart, strawberry, strawberry jam, strawberries, pie crust, pie, pie dough

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

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A delicious blueberry muffin with a crumble topping next to a blueberry and some lemon.

Enjoy both the warmth of homemade muffins and the look and flavor of bakery style treats with these lemon blueberry muffins! They’re fluffy and moist with bursts of blueberries and lemon! The best part could definitely be the flavorful delicate crumble on top that is loaded with specks of lemon zest!

WHY MAKE MUFFINS AT HOME?

You can pick up muffins from the grocery store or bakery, but muffins are one of the most heart warming things you can make in the kitchen! The smell while they’re baking is better than any candle and the oven gives off the best kind of warmth as they bake!

They stay soft and moist for days, but in my opinion they’re best eaten straight out of the oven.

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTES

Writing this recipe during social distancing days, I want to offer some substitutes and variations so that you wouldn’t need to make a trip to the store for something. I’ve made several variations of these muffins and each batch was delicious! Below are some options. Feel free to use what you have/like:

  • SUGAR: Use white or light or brown sugar or a combination.
  • BLUEBERRIES: Of course the more the better, so I like to use 2 cups. You could make them with anywhere between 1 1/2 to 2 cups. You can also use frozen blueberries. Don’t thaw them beforehand and keep in mind you might need to bake the muffins for a few extra minutes if using frozen blueberries. I should mention there is a chance that frozen blueberries will bleed and turn the batter a blueish purple color! Not ideal looking but still great tasting!
  • BUTTERMILK: Buttermilk adds a delicious, slightly tangy flavor, and a moist, tender texture to muffins. No need to make a trip to the store for buttermilk! Just substitute the buttermilk for the same amount of plain, full fat yogurt or whole milk and the muffins will still turn out great!
  • BUTTER: I prefer unsalted but salted can be used.
  • MUFFIN LINERS: If you’re like me and are out of paper cupcake liners, just grease the muffin tin really well.
A bowl of muffin crumble with specks of grated lemon zest.

HOW TO MAKE THE MUFFIN CRUMBLE TOPPING

Arguably the best part of these lemon blueberry muffins is the crumble topping! Honesty, I secretly strategize about how I’m going to eat the crumble topping. Should I eat is first? Should I eat in in combination with the rest of the muffin?! I mean…..it’s got melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest…baked up it’s an unreal flavor and texture!

It’s a good idea to mix the topping up first and put it in the fridge while you make the batter. To make it, just mix together the flour, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Use a spoon or your hands to mix it all up. I like to leave some bits smaller and some a little chunkier as in the picture above.

Muffin batter with blueberries being mixed in a bowl.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE MUFFIN BATTER

If you’re like my friend Sam, you Facetime or text me mid-baking to ask questions! I love those calls because it’s really cute seeing her in her kitchen baking. Here are some answers to some questions that you (or Sam) might have!

  • WHY SHOULD I TOSS THE BLUEBERRIES IN THE DRY INGREDIENTS? Toss them in the dry ingredients to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin as they bake. 🙂
  • IF I FILL THE MUFFINS TO THE TOP OF THE TIN, WON’T THEY SPILL OVER WHILE THEY BAKE? No, they will form the most delicious muffin tops! Fill the liners with the batter.
  • WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO POUR THE BATTER INTO THE LINERS? I like to use an ice cream scoop. It’s less messy and faster than using a spoon.
  • HOW DO I ADD THE CRUMBLE TOPPING TO THE MUFFINS IF THERE ISN’T MUCH ROOM AND THE CUPCAKE TIN IS ALREADY FULL OF BATTER? Carefully spoon the crumble on top of each muffin. You’ll most likely need to use your hands to “stick” it on or make sure you get the crumble evenly distributed to all sides of the muffins.
  • HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY’RE DONE? There are a couple good ways to know this. One way is to stick a toothpick into the center of one. If it comes out clean (i.e. without any wet crumbs), then they’re done. Another way to check is to press a muffin lightly with your finger. If it springs back, they’re done.
Delicious homemade blueberry muffins with crumble on a parchement paper lined rack.
A rack of fresh from scratch blueberry muffins with a half a lemon next to them.
Two delicious freshly baked blueberry muffins stacked on top of each other.

Hope these lemon blueberry muffins add some warmth and love to your homes and your day! Enjoy them warm, at room temperature and at any time of the day or year!

FOR MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES, TRY MY:

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Lemon Blueberry Muffins

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 27 minutes
  • Total Time: 47 minutes
  • Yield: 12–14 muffins 1x
  • Category: Baking, Muffins
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These lemon blueberry muffins make the best homemade muffins! They are moist, tender and delicious! Filled with bursts of blueberries and lemon zest and topped with a tender, flavorful crumble!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE STREUSEL

  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • zest of 1 lemon

FOR THE MUFFINS

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar, use light brown, dark brown, granulated or a combination
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (plain yogurt or whole milk can be used instead)
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

FOR THE STREUSEL

  1. Combine the melted butter, flour, sugar, and the lemon zest in a bowl butter in a small bowl. Set aside in the fridge to chill while you prepare the batter.

FOR THE MUFFINS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together until just combined. Pour in the blueberries and toss them in the mixture to coat them. Set bowl aside.
  3. To a medium sized bowl, add the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cupcake tin. (The cupcakes will be filled to the rim with batter). Top with the crumble. Bake 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out without wet crumbs when inserted in the middle of a muffin.
  5. Let cool in tin for 5-1o minutes then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Keywords: blueberries, blueberry, muffin, streusel, lemon, breakfast, dessert

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

by

cheesecake bars with a graham cracker crust and raspberry curd swirled in

It’s starting to feel a little like spring and these tangy, fresh tasting and looking raspberry lemon cheesecake bars are with raspberry curd taste are the perfect spring dessert! Filled with lots of bright tangy flavor from the lemon and cream cheese and topped with swirls of homemade raspberry sauce makes the bars look and taste extra special! They’re baked on top of a super simple graham cracker crust!

RASPBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS WITH A TWIST

I know there are lot of recipes for lemon cheesecake bars and I would love to make and try them all! I made some raspberry curd last month and added it to my lemon shortbread cookies and it was amazing!

I started thinking of how much flavor and beauty raspberry sauce could add to lemon cheesecake bars! I was right! Biting into a creamy, tangy lemon cheesecake bar and getting a burst of fresh raspberry sauce is like nothing I’ve ever tasted!

Raspberries being cooked in a pot with a wooden spoon in it.

HOMEMADE RASPBERRY SAUCE

If you don’t have time to make raspberry sauce, you can simply toss in fresh raspberries on top of the mixture just before it goes into the oven. Making fresh raspberry sauce takes a bit of effort (especially straining the seeds), but is so totally worth it!!! It’s also pretty fun to make and I’m guessing that, since you’re here, you enjoy cooking, so you should totally not skip the raspberry curd!

Raspberry seeds being strained through a sieve.

MAKING RASPBERRY SAUCE

  1. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer five minutes. Allow to cool slightly then puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the seeds.
A close up of creamy, bright red homemade raspberry curd
Broken up graham crackers sprinkled with sugar in a food processor.

EASY GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

These bars have a simple graham cracker crust. To make it, just place 9 sheets of graham crackers (a whole packet) along with some granulated sugar in a food processor. Pulse until it’s the consistency of bread crumbs. Next, pour your melted butter and pulse til combined.

Graham cracker crumbs and sugar processed in the bowl of a food processor

Use your finger to press the mixture into an 8×8″ square parchment paper lined pan. (Leave some excess parchment paper on two sides. This will make the bars easier to remove from the pan later on.

Bake the crust at 325 F for 12 minutes then remove to let cool. While the crust bakes and as it cools, you can prepare the filling.

A freshly baked graham cracker crust in a pan.

PREPARING THE FILLING

As with preparing the crust, the food processor does all the work mixing together the filling. To make the filling, simply mix your room temperature cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest and juice, and sugar in a food processor until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the cooled prepared graham cracker crust then top the filling with dollops of the cooled raspberry sauce. Next comes the funnest part! Use a toothpick to gently swirl the sauce into the filling.

Raspberry lemon cheesecake batter in a pan with raspberry curd swirled in it

Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are set. You’ll want to pull it out while the middle is still pretty jiggly. The middle will firm up as it cools.

Let the bars cool in the pan at room temperature for at least an hour then put them in the fridge to finish cooling. Leave them to cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Lemon cheesecake bars cut into squares with raspberry swirled in them.

CUTTING THE BARS

When you’re ready to enjoy these yummy raspberry lemon cheesecake bars, lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. You may need to run a knife down the edges of the pan to loosen them before lifting them out.

Next, run a large, sharp knife under hot water and wipe it dry. Slice the bars into the sizes you want and make sure to wipe the knife clean in between slices. To make sure the bars are cleanly cut, I like to dip my knife in hot water and wipe it clean in between each cut. It adds a little time, but ensures nicely cut bars!

Raspberry lemon cheesecake bar with a bite in it revealing lots of raspberry curd inside.
A close up of a raspberry lemon cheesecake square with dark red raspberry curd swirled in it.

There is really nothing like biting into these creamy, lemony bars and tasting the incredibly delicious homemade raspberry sauce! Enjoy and happy spring everyone!

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Delicious raspberry cheesecake bars cut into squares.

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 9–12 bars 1x
  • Category: Desserts, Bars
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These creamy raspberry lemon cheesecake bars are perfectly tart and sweet! Filled with fresh lemon and tangy cream cheese on top of an easy, crumbly graham cracker crust, these bars have with homemade raspberry sauce swirled into each bite!  They make the most beautiful, delicious dessert for spring and summer! 

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE RASPBERRY SAUCE

  • 1 1/2 cups raspberries
  • 1/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

FOR THE CRUST

  • 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
  • zest of one lemon
  • 2 eggs

Instructions

FOR THE RASPBERRY SAUCE

  1. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer five minutes. Allow to cool slightly then puree mixture in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard seeds and add mixture to a medium saucepan with the cornstarch over medium heat. Whisk to combine and boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside. 

FOR THE CRUST

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly butter then line an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper. Leave some excess parchment paper hanging over two sides to make it easier to remove the bars once baked and cooled.
  2. Add the graham crackers and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until mixture resembles the size of bread crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until combined. 
  3. Use your fingers to press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. 

FOR THE FILLING

  1. Combine the cream cheese, eggs, lemon juice and zest, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour the mixture over the cooled graham cracker base. 
  2. Spoon dollops of the cooled raspberry sauce over top. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the curd into the batter. 
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are set but the middle’s still a bit jiggly. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature for an hour then place in the fridge to cool for at least 3 hours. 

Keywords: cheesecake, bars, lemon, lemon zest, fruit, raspberry, raspberry curd, graham cracker crust, graham crackers