Friday Favorites | No. 25

Friday, September 29, 2017


Over the weekend we had UH-MAZING weather and it inspired me refresh the dead plants on my balcony since the super hot days of summer are practically gone.  I went to my favorite garden nursery, picked up some flowers and succulents and I really enjoyed fixing up my little "backyard".

You all should go and check out the This Modern Broad.  Its an awesome millennial lifestyle blog that my PIC Colleen has that covers fashion, food, fitness and everything else in between!

I have been really wanting to take a hand lettering or calligraphy class, but with my busy work schedule its really hard to find the time.  About a month ago I started following @chalkfulloflove (aka Sarah) on Instagram and I love her faux calligraphy/hand lettering. I found Sarah's book Hand Lettering 101: An Introduction to the Art of Creative Lettering on Amazon and guess what?!  It was on sale ... I figured that was a sign and I purchased it!  Can't wait to get it in the mail and start practicing.

While scrolling Pinterest I found this plum and thyme prosecco smash that looks delicious and would be perfect for a weekend brunch party!

I want need this purse in my life and the color perfect for Fall.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend!


Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Cookies

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

The other day I was at Target picking up paper towels and coffee creamer and ... somehow ended up in the Halloween section of the store.  Does that happen to anyone else or is that just me?!  Anyways, I was skimming over the seasonal baking items and saw a box of pumpkin cookie mix and knew exactly what I wanted to make with it.


I really like giving twists to classic recipes (like this, this and this) and I thought with pumpkin spice season in full swing, that now would be the perfect time to upgrade the traditional snickerdoodle cookie.  The pumpkin and seasonal spices in the cookie mix are perfect with the addition of smooth white chocolate and warm cinnamon sugar ... these cookies are hit in my book!



Snickerdoodle White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
{yield: 24 cookies}

1 box Pillsbury Perfectly Pumpkin cookie mix
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 egg
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Start by preheating your over to 375 degree.  In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon and set aside.  Then in a separate medium size bowl, combine the pumpkin cookie mix, melted butter and egg and mix until just combined.


Once combined, add in the white chocolate chips and mix into the dough.


Using a cookie scoop or spoon, measure out 2 tbsp. of dough and roll into a ball using the palm of your hands.  Then roll the ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart from each other.




Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set, turing the baking sheet halfway through.  If the tops look slightly undercooked, thats okay as they will set while cooling.  Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack.



These cookies are amazing served warm from the oven, but you can create the same taste by zapping them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds ... that is if you have any left over.  Enjoy!



Friday Favorites | No. 24

Friday, September 22, 2017


Happy Fall Y'all!  The weather this week has been amazing in California and I have been absolutely loving it.  Can't wait for the temps to cool down even more so I can bust out my boots and scarves! #fallisthebestseasonever

Gilmore Girls is my all time favorite show and I am loving this shirt I saw on Instagram the other day!

If you are looking for a new handbag for the fall I highly suggest the Jetsetter Mini Convertible Backpack from Henri Bendel.  I bought this exact one a couple months ago and have not stopped using it.  I love that I have so much versatility with it and the deep navy color is just perfection!

I broke down the other day and purchased the Fall 2017 FabFitFun box.  A lot of bloggers that I follow were raving about it so I decided to see that the fuss is all about!  If you want to see what its all about too, you can get $10.00 off your box by clicking here!

Tomorrow morning I can't wait to curl up on the couch with a homemade pumpkin spice latte and a good book.

I need an excuse to make these ASAP.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Maple Glazed Baked Donuts

Monday, September 18, 2017

Guys, these maple glazed baked donuts are so good.  Like stop everything you are doing right now, head to your kitchen and make these ASAP good!


And they are so easy and simple to make.  With just a few basic ingredients and about the same amount of time as it takes you to make waffles, you will have delicious light, fluffy and flavorful donuts for breakfast to enjoy on a crisp fall morning with a hot cup of joe!


Maple Glazed Baked Donuts
{Yield: 8-10 donuts}

Spiced Donuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. Kosher salt
1 large egg
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup milk
¼ Greek yogurt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ tsps. vanilla bean paste

Maple Glaze
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Start by preheating your over to 350 degrees and spray your donut pans with a non-stick spray.   Side note: I bought my donut pans years ago at Michaels, but have have seen similar ones at TargetJoAnn Fabric and even Home Goods.

In a small sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup until it comes together whisking every once in awhile.  Once melted, remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the sifted powdered sugar until smooth.  Set the glaze aside and allow it to cool.

To make the donut batter, start by combining the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and Kosher salt together.  Once mixed, set the bowl said and whisk the egg, light brown sugar, milk and Greek yogurt together until smooth.  Then add in the melted butter and vanilla bean paste.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  The batter will be on the thicker side.

Scoop the donut batter into a pastry bag and snip of the end.  This will allow you to be able to pipe the batter into the donut pan with no mess filling each donut space about ⅔ full.  If you do not have pastry bag, just use a large ziplock bag and cut off one of the corners and pipe away!

Bake the donuts for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.  Allow them to cool in the pan for about 2 minutes before transferring to a wired rack with some parchment paper underneath the rack (this will make clean up a breeze after the glazing process).  


Now to the fun part!  To glaze the donuts, simply hold the donut and dip it into the glaze.  Depending on the thickness of the glaze, you can dip once or twice...I opted for once since my glaze was on the thicker side, but a good double dip never hurt anyone!  Place the donut back on the wire rack and allow for the glaze to set for a few minutes before enjoying.




These baked donuts are usually enjoyed best right away, but will keep well if covered tightly and left at room temperature for up to 2 days.  You can also freeze the cake donut without frosting for up to two months and then just defrost them when ready to use.



Enjoy and happy almost fall y'all! :)


Recipe slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

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