Recipes - 4/44 - The Idea Room

Peppermint Candy Cane Donuts

Today I am excited to share with you a fun collection of some amazing Holiday Treats. I joined in with a group of bloggers who are all sharing a Holiday treat on their sites today and we all joined them in one big Linky Party of Holiday Goodness.

My contribution are these YUMMY Peppermint Candy Cane Donuts! I LOVE Chocolate…and I love Peppermint! Have I told you that before? ;)

These are pretty darn tasty! But what if you aren’t a huge chocolate fan? What? I know…how could there be someone who doesn’t like chocolate. I do actually know a few of you!

Don’t worry…I’ve got you covered too. Vanilla Peppermint Candy Cane Striped Donuts!

And well, you can always have one of each if you are having a hard time deciding. They ARE mini-donuts after all!

Peppermint-treats

Perhaps the best part about these are how SIMPLE they are to make. All you need to do is make up your favorite chocolate or vanilla cake batter. Or…just whip up a store bought cake mix.

Throw a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil or extract into the batter and then bake them in a mini donut maker. I found mine at Target and I absolutely LOVE it. I even threw in some crushed candy canes in some of the precooked donuts.

To make the frosting simply take 2 cups of Confectioner’s Sugar (powdered sugar) and mix in 2-3 Tablespoons of milk till you get the desired consistency. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over the newly frosted donuts. Serve with friends, a TALL glass of milk and a stripey straw!

Going to a party or a Cookie Exchange? These donuts would be perfect…or check out these other amazing treats. Simply click on the link to see the other fun treats linked up here.

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

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‘Tis the season…the season for amazing and decadent baked goods. I always LOVE baking this time of year and am always on the search for something good…and I think I am on to something. Have you ever tried Chocolate Cinnamon Bread? I love the Cinnamon Chocolate combination. Wow! So delicious!

I found this Starbucks recipe while searching online for Chocolate Cinnamon Bread. I have never been in a Starbucks store or had one of their drinks {gasp…except one time when my friend Beckie and I sat in the car while her husband ran in to get him a drink}. But the recipe sounded so good and so I was compelled to make it.

And it was so good…dense and full of chocolately-cinnamony goodness. This recipe was a big hit with the entire family. And although it is referred to as a bread, it had a cakey feel and taste to it…who wouldn’t want to eat that?

I would definitely make this for company or bring it to a party, or keep it all for myself and eat if for breakfast. I added a three of drops of Cinnamon Essential Oil in addition to the rest of the ingredients for a little extra kick of cinnamon.

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients

Chocolate Batter –
3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups flour
1 ¼ cup dutch processed cocoa
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Cocoa Spice Topping –

¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp dutch processed cocoa
Pinch of ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
Line two 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pans with parchment paper.
Mix the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated.
Sift together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water and vanilla. With your mixer on a low speed, begin adding the contents of each bowl to the butter mixture, alternating between the two until your mixture is fully blended, but not overly whipped.
Split your batter between the two pans. If your batter is slightly uneven, you can lightly shake the pan to even out the tops.
Make your Cocoa Spice topping by combining the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger and cloves. Sprinkle over the tops of the loaves.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.

http://www.theidearoom.net/2012/11/chocolate-cinnamon-bread.html

I ended up having to bake it for a total of 55 minutes for it to be fully baked all the way through after testing with a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread. I threw a piece of tinfoil over the top of the bread and baked it for that extra 10 minutes so the inside would cook without burning the top of the bread.

I love how the top is a crispy layer with that additional crumb topping…

Yep…this one is going to be a keeper. What about you? Have you ever had this Chocolate Cinnamon Bread? Are you a fan? Will you be giving this recipe a try this holiday season?

November 25, 2012 · Filed under: Christmas, Christmas Recipes, Recipes Tagged with chocolate bread, chocolate bread recipes, chocolate cinnamon bread recipe, cinnamon and chocolate, cinnamon bread, cinnamon bread recipes, cinnamon chocolate, cinnamon essential oil, cinnamon oil, cinnamon recipes, starbucks chocolate cinnamon bread

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

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Today I am sharing my newest…Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub! I have grown quite fond of sugar scrubs lately. I have shared a few here in the past…Lemon Sugar Scrub (one of my absolute favorites), Brown Sugar Scrub, and a Peppermint Foot Scrub.

They are so easy to make and can be made with ingredients you already most likely have on hand. They make your hands and skin so soft and depending on the “flavors” you add, smell amazing! But I love the combination of fall spices that are in this specific body scrub. They smell so amazing and the scent lingers on your skin long after you have used the scrub. So you get wafts of “Fall” all day long! Yum!

Since I am craving all things pumpkin and cinnamon right now I thought it would be great to come up with a Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub…boy does this smell amazing.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

2 cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar (or Raw Sugar)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/3 cup Almond Oil or Coconut Oil (add more if needed)

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl combine the sugars and spices.
Mix together with a wooden spoon.
Slowly pour in the Oil and stir until well blended.
You may add more if your scrub is too dry.
You don't want it to be runny, just a nice damp texture.
Cover in a tight container.
Store in the refrigerator up to 8 weeks.

http://www.theidearoom.net/2012/11/pumpkin-spice-sugar-scrub.html

This scrub can be a great way to pamper yourself during the hussle and bustle of the Holiday season. Especially after you have been on your feel all day preparing this year’s Thanksgiving Feast. Or whip up a batch and give it to the hostess of your Thanksgiving Dinner.