Valentine's Day Cherry Donuts

I love Valentine's Day for pretty much two reasons. Candy and treats! Yummmm. I mean, who doesn't love candy hearts and chocolate, right? So I knew I had to do a Valentine's Day baking post, like last year's Red Velvet Brownies. This year I went the donut route, and the came out pretty darn good! Added some pink and red sprinkles, and they were set to go!

Valentine's Day Cherry Donuts (recipe from Shugary Sweets)

ingredients:

For the Donuts:

• 2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 15 maraschino cherries, chopped

For the Glaze:

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• sprinkles

directions:

1. In mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Mix until combined. Add in eggs, vanilla, milk and melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Fold in chopped cherries.
2. Pour batter into a ziploc bag, snip off the corner of bag. Pipe into greased donut pans. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool in pans 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
3. For the frosting, heat cream in small saucepan until just before boiling. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Add more cream (or powdered sugar) until desired consistency.
4. To frost donut, dip cooled donut into glaze. Set on wax paper, apply sprinkles immediately (if desired), and allow to set (about 15 minutes) before eating. Enjoy!

Perfect timing to whip some up before Sunday!

-Kylie

chewy cherry almond bars

This may be one of my favorite recipes I've tried. These bars came out so chewy and almond-y, and the cherry was the perfect touch! I think the best way to tell if your baking is good is if people keep eating more past the first time they try it. Case in point, my family eating basically all the bars ;) 

Chewy Cherry Almond Bars (recipe from BHG)

ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups regular rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• one 12 oz jar cherry preserves (or any other fruit!)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and almond extract until combined. Beat in the flour next, and finish by folding in the oats and almonds with a spatula.
3. Remove 1/2 cup of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread with preserves. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over preserves layer.
4. Bake in the preheated oven about 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut cookies out of the pan. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try them out, or use something other than cherry preserves! I recommend eating them warmed up over vanilla ice cream!

-Kylie