Coffee and Irish Cream Scones.

These Irish Cream scones are such a fun Saint Patrick’s Day breakfast or treat! Fluffy, tender scones infused with coffee and Irish cream liqueur, topped with an Irish cream glaze. Yum! It’s my annual scone!! These coffee and irish cream scones are deliciously fluffy with all the flavors of Bailey’s irish cream, a touch of […]

The post Coffee and Irish Cream Scones. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

These Irish Cream scones are such a fun Saint Patrick’s Day breakfast or treat! Fluffy, tender scones infused with coffee and Irish cream liqueur, topped with an Irish cream glaze. Yum!

It’s my annual scone!!

irish cream scones

These coffee and irish cream scones are deliciously fluffy with all the flavors of Bailey’s irish cream, a touch of coffee and the most wonderful glaze. They are a fun Saint Patrick’s Day treat or an ideal breakfast. 

Even a dessert! 

irish cream scones

Eat then whenever, however you’d like. As a treat, with coffee, as part of a brunch spread – the options are endless.

It’s true: every year in March I feel compelled to share the newest scone recipe in our house. Which is WILD because I didn’t even like scones until fairly recently! I will spare you my long winded, tired story of how I had dry scones as a child. Didn’t we all?

Now scones are better than ever. 

irish cream scones

This recipe is based on the scones I first shared on my blog well over a decade ago. Feels like a million years! It’s the best recipe ever. They are simple to make, you probably have the ingredients for a classic scone and they don’t take long at all. 

irish cream scones

Today, we’re giving things an Irish twist in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day coming soon. I replace the buttermilk in my scones with Irish Cream liqueur. 

Yes. Best idea ever!

I also add a touch of coffee. Just for that traditional latte flavor with an emphasis on the Irish Cream. 

LOVE them. They are so incredibly flavorful and definitely treat-worthy.  (more…)

The post Coffee and Irish Cream Scones. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

What Makes This Blueberry Muffin Recipe Different? My blueberry muffin experience started with a blue boxed mix, complete with tiny dried blueberries. My mom would often make them to accompany dinner, and we would devour them slathered in too much butt…

blueberry muffins on a sheet pan

What Makes This Blueberry Muffin Recipe Different? My blueberry muffin experience started with a blue boxed mix, complete with tiny dried blueberries. My mom would often make them to accompany dinner, and we would devour them slathered in too much butter. I started baking them from scratch while working at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse; I always loved that their recipe added nutmeg and I took that little trick with me when I left. This recipe is revamped from my first book and now included in my latest cookbook, 100 Morning Treats; I found adding almond flour keeps the crumb tender and light, and also adds rich flavor. Bumping up the baking powder and adding another egg helped those muffins dance beautifully over the rim. You’ll find nutmeg incorporated in the perfectly sugary top (please don’t skip this!); the crunch being a perfect contrast to the moist muffin. Why Do You Fill Every Other Muffin Cup? Filling the muffin cups so that every other cup is empty can help the muffins bake higher. Leaving that extra space in between muffins gives them more room to rise, and their tops won’t bake into each other in the pan. This does mean you […]

The post Homemade Blueberry Muffins appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake Muffins.

These cranberry orange muffins are a holiday dream! Tart, bright cranberries mixed with tangy orange zest and a crumb topping – they are fluffy and soft with a crunchy top! Look at these little holiday beauties! My cranberry orange muffins are soft and fluffy with a crunchy streusel topping. It’s like a two-bite coffee cake […]

The post Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake Muffins. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

These cranberry orange muffins are a holiday dream! Tart, bright cranberries mixed with tangy orange zest and a crumb topping – they are fluffy and soft with a crunchy top!

Look at these little holiday beauties!

My cranberry orange muffins are soft and fluffy with a crunchy streusel topping. It’s like a two-bite coffee cake and makes the perfect breakfast or treat.

My family has an obsession with cranberry orange muffins. Them – not me. I have never loved the cranberry orange combo. One or two bites around the holidays are enough for me. 

But everyone else?! Straight up obsessed. I take my mom a cranberry orange muffin once a week. Jordan and Emilia also love them. While Max is partial to pumpkin muffins, his next favorite is cranberry orange.

So it was only natural that I put a big scoop of cranberries into my cinnamon orange coffee cake muffins!

Festive, fun and so delicious.

Orange around the holidays is very nostalgic for all of us. My mom would make the orange cinnamon rolls out of a can every December. My grandma made orange cake. She also put oranges in our stockings.

And because winter citrus is at its peak, we go through dozens or oranges, clementines, satsumas – you name it – this time of year. It’s easily my kids’ favorite snack! 

I took my favorite orange coffee cake muffin recipe and made it a little extra special. The one I make weekly during the holiday season. They are already filled with lots of cinnamon and orange zest, but adding in the fresh cranberries is the perfect pop. 

Literally!

I love how the cranberries burst right in the muffins. Not only do they have that sweet and tangy flavor, they look so pretty.

Like Christmas jewels. 

The crumb topping is, of course, my favorite part! It’s so crunchy, a little crisp, and adds the best texture to the otherwise fluffy muffin. You can also add a glaze on top if you wish! I do add a glaze on my orange muffins, but for this one I skipped it. The crumble just looked so pretty and I didn’t want to mess it up! 

If you find that you’d like a sweet drizzle on top of these muffins, you can use the glaze that I use in my orange muffins right here

I love these for Christmas morning! They freeze well and they are also lovely to gift someone too. (more…)

The post Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake Muffins. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins.

These pumpkin zucchini muffins are the best of both worlds! Tender pumpkin muffins studded with chocolate chips and mixed with fresh grated zucchini. A veggie boost for these extra delicious muffins! These are my favorite muffins for fall. If I’m going to mix green vegetables into my pumpkin and it turns out like this?! I […]

The post Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

These pumpkin zucchini muffins are the best of both worlds! Tender pumpkin muffins studded with chocolate chips and mixed with fresh grated zucchini. A veggie boost for these extra delicious muffins!

These are my favorite muffins for fall.

pumpkin zucchini muffins

If I’m going to mix green vegetables into my pumpkin and it turns out like this?! I can get behind it. 

These pumpkin muffins are so soft and tender, filled with grated fresh zucchini and studded with melty chocolate chips. I love how versatile they are, whether you enjoy them for breakfast or dessert. 

And they have some extra veggies in them! So I call this a win. 

pumpkin zucchini muffins

My classic pumpkin muffins are easily the most made muffins in our house. I go through periods of making a batch every week – they kids and Eddie all love them. They are a great after school snack or even a pre-bedtime snack too. 

pumpkin zucchini muffins

One of the reasons I love these muffins so much is because they use an ENTIRE can of pumpkin. A whole 15-ounce can, meaning you don’t have to use a cup and waste the rest. Because let’s be real, it usually just ends up lost in the fridge for a few weeks until – eeeek. 

pumpkin zucchini muffins

My claim to fame with these pumpkin muffins is that they converted Eddie into a pumpkin lover. Sure, I’ve been talking about this for over 15 years now. How I’ve “tricked” him into eating a few things that he has ended up loving (ricotta, for example), and pumpkin is another big one. 

pumpkin zucchini muffins

He has always loved butternut squash, but swore that he hated pumpkin. I think his only idea of pumpkin was pumpkin pie? So, I’m pretty sure that I told him these were butternut squash muffins. Then he ate, like, three in a row.

And then he was obsessed. 

I love when that happens!!

pumpkin zucchini muffins

Now I myself do not love a lot of spice in my pumpkin. I prefer savory pumpkin over sweet pumpkin, but if I do have sweet pumpkin – I don’t want a boatload of spice. Because of that, I keep the spice rather light in these muffins. If you are a huge lover of spice with your pumpkin, I suggest increasing the amount by a teaspoon or more.  (more…)

The post Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Sprinkle Scones with Icing

“A big jug of coffee had just been set in the hearth, the seed-cakes were gone, and the dwarves were starting on a round of buttered scones, when there came – a loud knock.” -JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit I make scones for every possible oc…

sprinkle scones on wire cooling rack

“A big jug of coffee had just been set in the hearth, the seed-cakes were gone, and the dwarves were starting on a round of buttered scones, when there came – a loud knock.” -JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit I make scones for every possible occasion, as they can be shaped ahead of time and frozen, then pulled out and baked as needed. I like them plain, packed with fruit, dusted in sugar, coated in icing, studded with chocolate and white chocolate and more chocolate, dotted with crystallized ginger and dried cranberries and poppy seeds and candied orange. And while Bilbo probably wouldn’t add sprinkles to his scones, I often do, because I have two little nieces whose eyes light up at the sight of rainbow specks on pretty much anything. My two teenage children also will gravitate towards sprinkle treats as well. These scones are soft, tender, and delicious. Scone Technique I had been making scones the same way for years – an adaption of Ina Garten’s Strawberry Scones from her first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa. However, I changed things up after stumbling upon a genius idea from Cook’s Illustrated. Their scone recipe included folding the dough over several times to create […]

The post Sprinkle Scones with Icing appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Irish Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Beer Bread Scones.

Beer bread scones are the perfect tender and soft scone, ideal for soup dipping or served as a side with dinner. The flavor is incredible with caramelized onions, sharp Irish cheddar and herbs making these melt in your mouth. Melt in your mouth buttery beer bread scones are on the menu today! Oh man. These […]

The post Irish Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Beer Bread Scones. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Beer bread scones are the perfect tender and soft scone, ideal for soup dipping or served as a side with dinner. The flavor is incredible with caramelized onions, sharp Irish cheddar and herbs making these melt in your mouth.

Melt in your mouth buttery beer bread scones are on the menu today!

irish cheddar and caramelized onion beer bread scones

Oh man. These scones are life changing. Packed with caramelized onions, herbs and sharp irish cheddar cheese, the flavor is out of this world. With the fluffy tenderness of beer bread, these scones are the perfect dipper for soup or side to enjoy with dinner. 

I always like to make a festive meal around Saint Patrick’s Day and these babies are going to be on repeat for the next few weeks. 

caramelized onions

Gosh, I love a recipe  like this. I’m combining so many of my favorite things! 

Sharp cheddar cheese!

Caramelized onions.

Beer bread!

It.doesn’t.get.any.better. All baked together in a cute little package. Crisp and shiny on the outside. Soft and practically flaky on the inside. 

beer bread scone dough

I grew up LOVING the days my mom would make beer bread. That bread is so buttery, so fluffy and savory. I loved dipping it into soup but also just… enjoying it on its own. Maybe toasted with butter. I mean it truly almost melts in your mouth.

The texture of beer bread is unbeatable. It’s so fluffy and bubbly and soft. Perfectly tender, but sturdy enough for dipping or spreading something on top. Which makes it ideal for scones since they can border on dry and crumbly.

beer bread scone dough

I’ve shared a few different varieties of beer bread before, but never beer bread scones. Could there be anything more perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day? I think not!

There have many rambles about this here on the blog, but I grew up hating scones. We would always get them in school for Saint Patrick’s Day and they were so so so dry. All I wanted was a huge glass of water after trying one. They also often had raisins, and let me tell you: just not. I am not a monster.

It left me with a high dislike for scones – but I also was probably expecting something sweet and fluffy since I was a kid.

beer bread scone dough

I finally learned to love scones after finding the perfect recipe and it’s one I’ve switched up many many many times. It’s not dry at all. It’s the perfect base for just about anything! And when made with beer, it becomes a bit fluffy, almost like it has risen slightly like a croissant.

With layers!

beer bread scone dough

These scones are absolutely loaded with flavor. Caramelized onions will do that to you. 

Of course, they are a little high maintenance since we’re caramelizing the onions. This will take around one to two hours – we’re dicing them from the start so be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. 

I prefer not to add anything to my onions to help them caramelize. I keep it simple: butter, diced onions and salt. However! If you want to add a little splash of beer to these to help them caramelize and intensify the flavor, it’s an option. 

Herbs go in too: I like some thyme and chives. 

I love a good sharp Irish cheddar, like Kerrygold or even from ALDI. Freshly grating the cheese makes it melt so wonderfully, and between the crumbled butter and cheese, the savory bites are top notch.  (more…)

The post Irish Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Beer Bread Scones. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.