Salted Caramel Lava Brownie Cake

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Salted Caramel Lava Brownie Cake- the most delicious and fudgy thing you'll ever eat!

Fudgy double chunk dark chocolate flavor with salted caramel swirls on top that stare deep into your soul? Yes please. I kid you not, this salted caramel lave brownie cake is richer than Bill Gates. 

Let’s backup a few days to Halloween. Kyle and I left early from Santa Barbara and drove down to our hometown to surprise his family with a visit. UCSB during Halloween is basically chaotic madness and we chose to leave our little Isla Vista for the fun of giving out candy to all the adorably dressed little kids in his neighborhood. You would think by now I would be sick of candy (especially accounting for Kyle’s mama buying 900 pieces of candy to hand out with plenty extra), but I’ve just been plain sick, which has taken a major toll on my appetite. I thought it would only be fitting if I got in my chocolate fix with these babies.

Salted Caramel Lava Brownie Cake- the most delicious and fudgy thing you'll ever eat!

This recipe is guaranteed to satisfy any chocolate or sweet tooth craving you could possibly have and make one heck of a potluck dessert. You serve these basically straight out of the oven and they are gooey perfection. Excuse me while I wipe fudgy deliciousness off of my keyboard because the melty chocolate is just a leeeeeetle outta control. This is madness! NO. This is Salted Caramel Lave Brownie Cake!

Salted Caramel Lava Brownie Cake- the most delicious and fudgy thing you'll ever eat!

What was I saying? Sorry I get hypnotized by freakin’ salted caramel melting itself into that perfectly crackled top and soaking into layers of chocolate.

Also, I think it goes without saying that I won’t be calculating the nutrition for this post. This recipe is goooood for the soul and a little sugah and buttah is fine once in a while. And by once in a while I mean for breakfast, after-breakfast coffee break snack, post-lunch dessert, pre-dinner appetizer, and for real dessert. Then we all can collapse on the sofa and breathe a happy sugar-coma sigh of happiness. K?

Salted Caramel Lava Brownie Cake

Ready? BREAK.

 

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal

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Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

There aren’t many breakfasts that can make me swoon. Not many healthy ones in any case. Oatmeal? Good, but where is the cake. Eggs? Decent, but plz bring me some pie. Greek yogurt? Meh. The only thing going through my head… is my pie here yet?

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

But this. This is something special. This is the sort of healthy breakfast that makes you feel like you’re biting into a giant chocolate chip oat cookie. I busted out this recipe on a whim as an adaptation to my Baked Honey Berry Oat recipe (which has rave reviews) early Monday morning, and it was gone within an hour. I didn’t even get a chance to photograph it the firs time around since  the girls and I stood around the just-out-of-the-oven pan fighting over bites. The combination of the warm and comforting spiced oats coupled with melty-chocolate chips covering the top is absolutely divine and doesn’t leave my sweet-tooth wanting. Add in a freshly brewed cup of coffee to sip on and you are in h-e-a-v-e-n!

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

One thing I love about this recipe is how customizable it is. You are in total control and can’t really go wrong with the base recipe. Feel free to add in special touches like nuts (walnuts in here would be fantastic), coconut flakes, dried fruit, etc. The world is your oyster!

This recipe clocks in at just under 250 calorie per 1/6th of the pan (aka a huge slice).

New favorite breakfast? I think yeeeesss.

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

 

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

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Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffin 2

Let’s take a look at that title, shall we?

Cinnamon=love

Sugar=love

Donuts=love

Muffins=love

I really don’t see where we could go wrong here. 

It’s that time of year now where the baking bug has officially hit me. I’m still waiting for California to decide that it’s time to change up the weather (hello00 80+ degree weather), but I’m ready to break out my fuzzy pajamas and sit under piles of blankets with a cup of coffee and baked good. Since it’s way too hot for that right now, I’ve been settling for cozying up on the couch with my friend Martha and watching Dance Moms while eating (literally) half the brownie batter from a box mix I picked up at the store. I can’t say I’m complaining. 

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins 3

But back to these scrumptious little things! Think all the fluffiness of a cake donut, but with the soul of a muffin. Then cover all of that with a coating of butter and a lil sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. And by lil I mean dunk that sucker in and fill every crevasse with as much of it as humanely possible 😯 . Swoon.

One thing I really love about these is how freakishly easy they are to make. You can’t go wrong with a recipe where you just throw all of your ingredients into a bowl, mix, and bake. The donut muffin urge could strike you and you could satisfy it within 20 minutes flat, which is bueno for a girl like me who needs needs needs to eat something the minute I start craving it. 

And these, my friends, are definitely crave worthy. Get out your (one) bowl and get to baking!

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

 

Skinny Vanilla Glazed Raspberry Swirl Scones

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 Skinny Vanilla Glazed Raspberry Swirl Scones- less than 250 calories each!

Stare deeply into your computer screen into the swirly depths of these scones. Vibrant red whirls of raspberry goodness. Are you hypnotized yet? 😯

You take one bite of these and you’re sold. Tender golden scone bites that are punctuated with sweet and tart bits of sugar-coated raspberries. I repeat, SUGAR-COATED RASPBERRIES. OH! And that drippy vanilla glaze. Mhm. It delivers the perfect extra touch of sweetness and just makes them look oh so cute, doncha think? So pretty in pink!

Skinny Vanilla Glazed Raspberry Swirl Scones- less than 250 calories each!

Kyle and I are heading back up to Santa Barbara tomorrow night, so I thought it would be good to get in one last baking session at my parent’s house before getting back to a crowded kitchen. I don’t think I’m ready to jump back into class and studying… what a rude awakening from the last few vacation weeks I’ve had of binge watching Netflix, spending all day in pjs, camping, and scone-making. While the house I’m living in up at SB is gorgeous and has a big kitchen, the temperature knobs on the oven have had their measurements rubbed off from years of use, so we aren’t to sure how hot things are really getting in there. I’ve had more than my share fair of burnt cookies and rock-hard brownies and was not about to risk the lives of my little rosy love bites.

NOT THESE SCONES OVEN. You can’t win this one.

Skinny Vanilla Glazed Raspberry Swirl Scones- less than 250 calories each!

These raspberry scones are deceiving, and not in a bad way. Full of sweet flavor and flaky dough, they seem like they should be packed with tons of calories, but they’re actually much lighter than most baked goods and come in at less than 250 calories each! I love when you can lighten up normally indulgent comfort food so that you feel better about treating yourself everyday! Whole wheat flour and light on the sugar, but still full of flavor! Yummers. 

Skinny Vanilla Glazed Raspberry Swirl Scones- less than 250 calories each!

 

Caramel Apple Tart

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Caramel Apple Tart

FALL BAKING! FALL BAKING FALL BAKING!!

Can you tell I’m excited? Warm muffins, pumpkin spice err’thing, PIE. While I’m not big on the weather getting too cold as winter approaches (remember I live in California and am a weather-wimp so 50 degrees is freezing for me), there’s nothing more comforting to me than a warm baked good with a big latte in the morning. That, my friends, is my happy place. 

I like to pretend that Fall has already come, but the truth is that California isn’t showing too many signs of the season. My sister helped make this tart in 85 degree weather with the sun blaring outside and our air conditioning on. The other day I did a small dance when I was able to order my first pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks after church, but then proceeded to sweat my face off while drinking it. Cute.

Where are you, Fall?

Caramel Apple Tart

So worth it, though. The hot drinks and having the house heat up from the oven are a price I’m willing to pay to get more of the Fall experience. Especially this caramel apple tart. Ya’ll know how I feel about apple pie… it’s just about my favorite thing EVER. This embodies all those delicious flavors in flaky tart form. Voila! It’s perfection, especially with a bit of powdered sugar drizzle. Not to mention it’s easy. With pre-made puff pastry, you can whip up these in no time and impress everyone you feed!