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Soft and Juicy Blackberry Bars

3/1/2021

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blackberry bars
    Here is something a little different to use fresh blackberries in!  This is a soft bar with a nice and crunchy brown sugar crust.  The top part with the blackberries is more like a custard than it is like a cake or bread.  It is made with sour cream and cinnamon and with the blackberries folded in, they give you a juicy burst of fresh flavor!   It is hard to describe, but pretty delicious.  

     The recipe is made in a square, 9x9 inch pan, so it isn't overwhelming, and my family gobbled it up pretty quickly! I hope you love it!  I think that you will. 
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3 Minute Muffin in a Mug (gluten Free)

2/15/2021

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Some mornings you just want a delicious muffin, but when you think of all the work required and the time it takes you settle for your cereal again. Well I'm here to help because I have developed this recipe for a scrumptious and healthy muffin in a mug. This muffin is sugar free, gluten free and actually has two servings so you can share it with someone you love or save half for later.
Picture of a banana oat muffin in a mug with pictures of muffins, dates, walnuts, bananas, and oats around it. The 3 Winks Design Logo and the title 3 Minute Banana Oat Muffin in a Mug. 3winksdesign.com

Banana Oat 3-minute mug muffin

I was hesitant when I first tried this recipe because I'd never had a mug muffin before and I was basing my microwave version from a regular muffin recipe. But I'm happy to say it worked beautifully, and it was so easy. I think it would be easy enough for your kids to make themselves breakfast in the morning too. I also love that it is so fast, so even if you wake up late you can still have a delicious and nutritious breakfast. The chopped dates add the perfect amount of sweetness to the muffin and you can adjust the quantity to your liking.

I ground my own oat flour a couple weeks ago and used it for this recipe instead of all purpose. With the oat flour, the muffin tastes similar to bran muffins (which I love). The home ground oat flour makes this recipe gluten free! Grinding the flour was so easy with the grinder my parents got us for Christmas. I've used the oat flour in a few different recipes and I have loved it. If you don't have oat flour I think you could use all purpose flour and get a delicious muffin still, it probably won't have the bran like texture and flavor though.
3 Minute Banana Oat Muffin in a Mug
I hope you can try this recipe and enjoy it like I have. I like to put some butter  on my muffin right when it comes out of the microwave. 

Have you ever tried a muffin in a mug before? Did you like it? Let us know in the comments below!

​Other Posts you might like

Pumpkin Banana Muffins
​Vegan Banana Muffins
Cranberry Banana Orange Muffins
​

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13 Pancake Recipes you need to try

2/12/2021

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This post contains affiliate links. We will be compensated for any purchases you make at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Did you know International Pancake Day is next Tuesday (February 16, 2021)? In my research, I found that this is because pancakes are traditional to make on Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras (they're all the same) because they use up the rich and fat ingredients you may have around your home before lent starts. I thought that was a cool way to not waste your food.

We aren't part of the religion that participates in Lent, but we do love pancakes and are happy to celebrate International Pancake Day! So I have rounded up 13 recipes that are different from your typical pancakes and will make you want to keep stacking them up!
Picture that reads 13 Unique Pancake Recipes you need to try. 3 Winks Design logo 3winksdesign.com. 3 pictures on the right. The top is of a German pancake, the middle is of æbleskiver, and the bottom is of a stack of lemon pancakes with blueberry syrup.

13 Unique Pancake Recipes 

stack of cherry 7up pancakes
Cherry 7-up pancakes.
  • Banana Pancakes- For when you're trying to avoid added sugar, these pancakes use ripe banana to add sweetness. you get all the great things about pancakes without the extra sugar!
  • Cherry 7-Up Pancakes- On the flip side, adding cherry 7-Up to your pancakes results in something special, fluffy and cherry flavored!
  • Root Beer Pancakes- Similar to 7-Up pancakes, the root beer helps produce a light and fluffy batter that makes simply delicious pancakes.

  • Lemon Pancakes- With BLUEBERRY SYRUP! Just reading this makes my mouth water. I love this combo. SO GOOD!
  • Cinnamon Roll Pancakes- Seriously, two of the best breakfast foods in one? Yes and it's amazing.
  • Peach Pancakes- With warm peach syrup! My mom still talks about these. They are probably one of her most favorite things for breakfast. 
  • Pancake Sundaes- Don't regulate pancakes to just a breakfast food. Eat them as dessert with a fun pancake sundae station. You won't regret it!
Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
Picture of chunky apple pancakes topped with red hot syrup and whipped cream
Picture of a german pancake in a cast iron pan. Topped with powdered sugar and raspberries.
  • Vegan Pancakes- Typically pancakes have milk and egg in them, but this one does not! And it still makes delicious fluffy pancakes! (Yes the post is talking about waffles but the recipe can be used for pancakes too).
  • Chunky Apple Pancakes- With Red Hot syrup. I love Chunky Apple Pancakes! Apples and cinnamon are such a classic combo, but I love the way it's changed up in this recipe because the syrup is where we get that punch of cinnamon flavor.
  • German Pancakes- I love german pancakes, they're the easiest when you want something delicious like a pancake but are feeling too lazy to stand and tend to each flapjack individually. They get puffy and fluffy in the oven and I always make mine in my cast iron. This recipe from Creme de la Creme is delicious. I'm still working on my own recipe which I'll share in the future.
  • Æbleskiver-These are like little pancake balls filled with goodness. I first shared about them when I was sharing recipes from my cultural history, they're Dutch. And they're amazing. You'll need an æbleskiver pan, I got mine from Amazon.
  • Æbleskiver made in a cake pop maker- If you don't want to by an special pan, perhaps you have an electric cake-pop maker. My mom shows how to make them in one and uses a slightly different recipe from the one I shared.
Picture of æbleskiver on a plate topped with cut up strawberries and powdered sugar.
  • Crepes- French pancakes, basically. So versatile and so delicous. You could literally eat crepes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Lindsey shared a recipe on our blog of how to make ham and brie crepes. But once you've got the crepe, fill it with anything from fruit, to meat, to chocolate, it will always be a winner.
I hope you'll be breaking out your electric skillets next week to celebrate International Pancake Day with us and try some of these recipes. I guarantee you will not regret it. 

What are some of your favorite kinds of pancakes? Any you would like to see us attempt? Let us know in the comments below!
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3 Easy ways to Improve Pizza Night

2/8/2021

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If you love pizza but are getting tired of the same pepperoni cheese situation, you're in the right place. Tomorrow is World Pizza Day and I am a major pizza lover. We eat some kind of pizza once a week for our "Pizza Movie Night" tradition, I'm pretty excited about the holiday. So today I'm going to share 3 easy ways I've discovered that will improve your pizza night.
3 Ways to Improve Pizza Night

1. Pizza Crust or Bust

Does anyone else remember pizza day in their school cafeteria? Despite it being pizza, it wasn't the best day. The reason being the crust just wasn't good. It was basically a soggy cracker with pizza toppings. If your foundation isn't good, the pizza won't be either.

My mom has shared before her quick pizza dough recipe in her Pizza Pot Pie post. I like that recipe because it's faster if I forgot to start the dough early. It also has a delicious flavor. The one thing I change from my mom's recipe is I never use a rolling pin on my pizza dough. I just stretch it out with my hands. If it resists stretching just let it rest a little and try again. This allows the air bubbles from the yeast to stay in tact and create those delicious bubbles we all enjoy in our pizza dough.

If I'm really on my game I will start my crust DAYS ahead of time. This allows your crust to develop that chewy texture and tangy flavor. Letting the dough rise for days in the fridge allows the yeast to really work at fermenting the dough. (Keep in mind if you have a sourdough starter in your fridge it would be excellent to use for pizza dough). I have tried many recipes for this type of dough, the one I like best is this one from Serious Eats. Though I've never been able to get a hold of 00 flour, I use bread flour and it works out well. I love the simplicity of this dough, and it makes a delicious dough.

If I am really off my game, or just feeling lazy, we buy a Red Baron 4 Cheese pizza and just top it with our own favorite toppings. This could work with any of your favorite store bought cheese pizza.

*Honorable mention to Pillsbury Pizza Dough because it is great for a store bought dough. It has a good flavor though it is a little dense.
​
If you're gluten free, Lindsey has shared two delicious gluten free pizza crust options before. A cauliflower crust and another that she made in her air fryer.
Store bought cheese pizza topped with bacon, olives, parmesan, and chili garlic oil.
Red Baron 4 Cheese pizza topped with bacon, olives, parmesan, and chili garlic oil.

2. Get Creative with Pizza Toppings

Have you ever been asked if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be? I'm here to tell you the answer is pizza. Pizza can be topped with basically anything. 

Here is a list of some of our favorite topping combinations:
  • Pesto instead of pizza sauce, goat cheese (in small clumps) instead of mozzarella, add dried apricot, a sprinkle of sea salt  and drizzle of hot honey once it comes out of the oven. It's really delicious.
  • Chicken Alfredo pizza, replace the tomato sauce with Alfredo sauce. Add sliced red peppers and onion.
  • Bacon, artichokes, mushrooms and olives is a popular favorite in our home. The olives can be black, kalamata, green, whatever you like the best!
  • Garlic chili oil, oregano, parmesan, or red pepper flakes all make great things to finish off your slice before you take the first bite.
  • BBQ pizza
  • Taco pizza
  • Veggie pizza

And my last bit of advice about toppings is to have fun with it. If it would be good with bread (and what wouldn't?) it will be good baked on a pizza!
​
A goat cheese pesto pizza with diced cherry tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and sliced red onions.
A goat cheese pesto pizza with diced cherry tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and sliced red onions.

3. In the zone with a pizza stone

A brick pizza oven would be ideal or even a small pizza oven, but that's not always practical. But a pizza stone is the next best thing! We love ours. 

Preheat your stone in the oven starting with a cold oven, otherwise it could crack. Be careful when you take the stone out because it's going to be super hot. And don't set it on a cold counter because it could crack from the shock. I have a metal stand that keeps it up in the air and goes into the oven with the pizza stone. Once the stone is preheated, I put my stretched out dough on the stone and quickly put the toppings on. I pop it back in the oven for about 10-20 minutes and just keep an eye on it. Once the dough is golden and the cheese is melted, I know it's done.

The beauty of a pizza stone is it cooks the bottom of your dough and makes it nice and crispy, but keeps the inside chewy.
​
I hope these tips help you ramp up your pizza night and cure your pizza blues! Do you have any favorite pizza toppings? What are they? Let us know in the comments below!

More Posts you might like

  • Flammekeuche- French Alsace Pizza
  • Our Favorite Pizzas
  • Homemade Pizza Night
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    Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven!  I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born.  Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out!  Read more about us here!
        

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