Carrot Coconut Bread

Easter is right around the corner, which means it's pretty much carrot cake season. I'm not a huge fan of carrot cake, but I will have a piece when in the right mood. And I'll certainly entertain the idea of turning carrot cake into something else, like a cookie or in this case, a lovely loaf of quick bread. I actually made this twice in the past week--once for my friend Cindy for her birthday baking and again for us because Dave was drooling when he saw Cindy's loaf and I think was a little disappointed he couldn't try it. But I'm glad to repeat it since it's a delicious twist on a breakfast or snack bread and was super easy to make. And the glaze. Do not skip the glaze. If carrot cake is just a delivery vehicle for cream cheese frosting, then this bread was made specifically for this cream cheese glaze. So. Good. This loaf is hearty, so you could totally just make it breakfast with a cup of coffee. Or a mid morning snack. Or lunch. Or grab a slice when you're up at 2 am with the baby.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

I've really been craving cinnamon rolls lately, but I've been to lazy/tired/pregnant to actually make them. But a quick bread that tastes like cinnamon rolls? Yeah, I can do that. Especially because it whipped up fast, makes the kitchen smell awesome and tastes amazing. A slightly sweet vanilla quick bread is marbled with a cinnamon-pecan gooey ripple throughout and a sweet glaze drizzled over the top. The crumb is light and the filling has so much gooey goodness, just like you'd expect from a cinnamon roll. Yes, I think this bread can take the place of cinnamon rolls just fine, thank you very much. And this recipe makes two loaves, one for you and one for a friend. But warning, give the second loaf away before you taste the first. Because otherwise you may not share.

Almond Meltaways

Almond cookies with a light almond glaze?  Sure, why not.  I'm told not everything has to be chocolate (although I'm still trying to figure out what that means...)  But these cookies really are tasty.  Appropriately named almond meltaways, these cookies literally melt in your mouth as a soft, buttery cookie that's light and full of flavor.  Delicious almond notes permeate both the cookie and the glaze which creates a slightly crunchy coating that contrasts the soft cookie texture in the best of ways.  And I do appreciate a non-chocolate cookie every once and a while. I use them as a palate cleanser between chocolate confections, kind of like sorbet between the appetizer course and entree.

Skinny Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes are rich, delicious and full of fudgy flavor, have a chocolate glaze and are just over 100 calories each.  Let me give you a second to get up off the floor.  Better?  Yeah, I fell over too when I saw the stats on these figure friendly and amazingly delicious cupcakes.  And fell over again when I tasted one.  While the majority of what I post here would indicate otherwise, I do try to indulge in moderation and keep things healthy from time to time (so that I can indulge in the decadent and rich stuff on other occasions).  My boss and a coworker have birthdays a day apart, and my cousin Angela enjoyed her 21st birthday a few days later, so these cupcakes where a hit all around.  You'd hardly believe there are just four ingredients in these awesome cupcakes.  There are five ingredients in the glaze!  But I'm pretty sure I've found the perfect cupcake recipe for Girls' Night.