Banana Orange Pistachio Muffins

A lazy Sunday Brunch! Homemade muffins, coffee, and lounging under the warmth of the covers.

These muffins were very easy to make and super healthy as well.


Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 bananas, mashed
1 large orange, grated zest
1/4 orange orange (I used the fresh juice from the large orange, but regular juice should work)
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp apple sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup (or agave syrup)
1 cup oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 pistachios, chopped or crushed
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line or grease 6 muffin tins.

In a medium bowl, combine the mashed bananas, orange zest, orange juice, egg, apple sauce, and maple syrup, mixing well. Add in the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir until everything is combined.

Spoon the muffin batter into the lined or greased muffin tins. Place the pistachios in a small ziploc bag and crush with the bottom of a glass. Mix in the brown sugar with the crush pistachios. Sprinkle the topping on the muffins, pressing gentle with your finger tips.

Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dan asked me to bake some cookies and since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I thought I'd try the Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cooking Classy with a few minor modifications. I used 6 tbsp of salted butter rather than vegetable shortening and I used white chocolate shavings as well as white chocolate chunks rather than white chocolate chips. Ooey-gooey deliciousness. Hmm-mmm.

Here's what you'll need:

2 1/4 cup AP flour

2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

14 tbsp salted butter, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tbsp red food colour or red gel

1 1/2 cups chopped white chocolate (I used the squares of Baker's chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until it's pale and fluffy. Add egg + egg yolk and mix until combined. Next, add the vinegar, vanilla, and red food colouring and mix until combined. 

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the white chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips if you prefer). 

Scoop dough and roll into balls (I used about 2 tbsp of dough for each cookie —I like them big :)). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 8-10 minutes. They will still appear very soft, but trust me, they're better this way. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. 

Morning Glory Muffins

While I was at home, I made these for brunch. Mom, Dan, and I all enjoyed one —or well, maybe two and a cup of coffee. These muffins are delicious and fairly easy to make with the exception of grating the carrots and apples. Also, if I were you, I would double this recipe because it only makes 6 large muffins. 

Here's what you'll need for the muffins:

1 egg
1/4 cup agave syrup or maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt
1 carrot, grated
1 apple, peeled and grated
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup oats
1 cup AP or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Here's what you'll need for the topping:
1 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp AP or whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oats
3 tbsp of a combination of seeds and/or nuts*
1 tbsp honey
tsp water


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, agave/maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, and yogurt.

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Now, stir in the grated carrot, grated apple, and raisins.

Pour batter into 6 greased muffin tins.

To make the topping, combine sugar, flour, butter, seeds and/or nuts and using your hands, rub them together until crumbly. Now, add honey and water, and mix until just combined. Sprinkle the topping over the muffin batter and gently press down with your fingertips.


Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Enjoy!

French Baguettes

This recipe is super easy and super yummy. AND, there is no rising time.


Here's what you'll need:

3 cup warm water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp instand yeast
6 cup AP flour


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the water, sugar, yeast, and salt, and stir together. Next, stir in three cups of flour with a wooden spoon. Mix in approximately 3 more cups —1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. I used my hands for this part.

Place the dough onto a well floured surface and knead it for a few minutes or until the dough is soft.

Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each piece into a long loaf shape. Place the loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving. We ate our baguettes with butter and cheese :)