vanilla extract – FoodWatcher

Matcha Rice Crispy Treat Christmas Trees

Chewy and gooey and gorgeously green: these festive matcha rice crispy treats are decorated to look like charming Christmas trees, with a natural green color that comes from matcha green tea powder (no food coloring required!) Matcha lovers, this one’s for you! With ample amounts of matcha powder infused in a classic marshmallow cereal treat […]

The post Matcha Rice Crispy Treat Christmas Trees first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Matcha lovers, this one’s for you! With ample amounts of matcha powder infused in a classic marshmallow cereal treat for a quick and easy holiday treat you’re sure to love (did I mention they make perfect homemade holiday gifts?)

Matcha Rice Crispy Treats cut into triangles and decorated like Christmas trees, one leaning up against a mug of matcha on a marble background.

Holiday rice crispy treats? Yes, please!

I debated whether or not to go full Christmas for this recipe (which, sans decoration, can really be enjoyed any time of the year!) but these tree-shaped treats (or should I say, treets?) were just too darn cute not to share.

You don’t even need cookie cutters (a usual requirement of tree-shaped goodies), as you can cut perfect triangles from a 13-by-9-pan of treats with just a few simple cuts.

Add a little drizzle of white chocolate and a few strategically-placed sprinkles and voila! Delicious and festive Rice Crispmas Treets!

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Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies

Soft, chewy, and lemony sugar cookies made with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for a unique flavor and a delightful chewy texture—with a delicate crunch on the outside from the granulated sugar coating, they are, simply put, a textural delight. The soft oil-based dough is easily mixed by hand with a spatula or […]

The post Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

The soft oil-based dough is easily mixed by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon, no electric mixer required. The simplicity is just one more reason to love these unique cookies!

Crackly top Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies on marble with a small glass pourer of olive oil, lemons, and a plate of more cookies in the background.

It shouldn’t be surprising (based on the name of this blog) that we go through a lot of olive oil. It’s our go-to oil and we couldn’t live without it (well, we could, but we wouldn’t be very happy about it). That said, I’ll admit I often overlook it in baking projects in lieu of butter. And that’s a shame, because olive oil is actually quite lovely when it comes to sweets.

That was my goal with these cookies: to show how well olive oil works for baking. The result is a soft and chewy sugar cookie straight out of your dreams. They are light in texture and incredibly buttery, surprisingly so, considering they are actually made with no butter at all, but rather, extra virgin olive oil.

You may never use butter for baking again.

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake

During the fall months, pumpkin desserts are my favorite. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin sheet cake, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and pumpkin snickerdoodles. I love it all. This Pumpkin Bundt Cake is definitely a fall favorite, I make it every …

Strawberry Banana Bread

Moist, flavorful banana bread studded with chunks of fresh strawberries, a hint of cardamom, and brushed with a sweet strawberry glaze. Take your favorite banana bread recipe to new heights with fresh strawberries for a flavorful twist you’ll simply adore. The sweet strawberry glaze on top is—literally—the icing on the cake! The theme of this […]

The post Strawberry Banana Bread first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Moist, flavorful banana bread studded with chunks of fresh strawberries, a hint of cardamom, and brushed with a sweet strawberry glaze.

Take your favorite banana bread recipe to new heights with fresh strawberries for a flavorful twist you’ll simply adore. The sweet strawberry glaze on top is—literally—the icing on the cake!

Loaf of Strawberry Banana Bread with a pink glaze, two slices laying down to show the interior texture, and strainer with strawberries in the background.

The theme of this spring’s recipes is red and yellow, apparently. Strawberry + lemon, strawberry + passionfruit, and now, strawberry + banana.

I can’t help it if strawberries are just so darn versatile, it’s one of the reasons they are one of my favorite ingredients to bake with.

Unfortunately this recipe used the last of my spring berries, marking the official end of strawberry season here in Tennessee.

I was lucky to get in two good picking sessions this year, though all the rain we’ve had has made the season particularly short (the last time we went, half the fruit in the field was rotten. It was very sad, indeed.). Still, I managed to get 3 good strawberry recipes out of them, which I certainly consider a successful strawberry season!

And actually, make that 4 good recipes, I forgot I’ve got something chilling in the freezer that’ll ultimately work with all different kinds of fruit, not just strawberries, so I’ll be sharing that one later this summer.

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Olive Oil Pancakes

Classic buttermilk pancakes made with extra virgin olive oil instead of the typical melted butter. With a hint of lemon zest that plays beautifully with the fruitiness of the olive oil, the result is a unique and utterly delicious twist on a breakfast classic. Weekends are for brunching, and these olive oil pancakes will satisfy […]

The post Olive Oil Pancakes first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Weekends are for brunching, and these olive oil pancakes will satisfy your breakfast cravings without fussy reservations or long waits. Moist, light and delightfully fluffy, with a unique flavor that’s all their own, this may well become your new go-to pancake recipe.

Pouring maple syrup on a tall stack of Olive Oil Pancakes, another plate in the background.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with brunch. I love the food, of course, from French toast and pancakes to huevos rancheros and eggs Benedict. But Brunch is also a major pain: you either have to go early to beat the crowds, have the foresight to have made a reservation, or be willing to wait for a ridiculous long time for a table.

Instead of dealing with the hassle of the Sunday morning hoards, an easy brunch at home is so much more relaxing (pants not required). At the same time, no one really feels like slaving over the stove first thing in the morning, so a quick and easy recipe is key, and I should have you know that these olive oil pancakes can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.

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Cinnamon Raisin Scones

I love baking and eating scones: strawberry, blueberry, chocolate chip, pumpkin…I could go on and on. They are such a fantastic breakfast treat. I love these Cinnamon Raisin Scones because they remind me of cinnamon raisin bread, which is my favo…

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

These mini Oreo cheesecakes are made with a delicious mix of cookies and cream, featuring a whole Oreo as the “crust.” I’ve been making these mini Oreo cheesecakes for over a decade now whenever I need a quick and easy treat for a gathering. And I’m telling you — especially when it comes to cheesecake […]

These mini Oreo cheesecakes are made with a delicious mix of cookies and cream, featuring a whole Oreo as the “crust.”

I’ve been making these mini Oreo cheesecakes for over a decade now whenever I need a quick and easy treat for a gathering. And I’m telling you — especially when it comes to cheesecake recipes — it doesn’t get much easier, cuter and tastier than this!

My favorite thing about this mini cheesecake recipe is that there’s no need to spend extra time crumbling, mixing, and pressing down a fancy crust. Simply pop an Oreo in the bottom of each baking cup and you’re good to go! The vanilla cheesecake batter here is also quick and easy to mix with 5 basic ingredients. Then simply bake for about 15 minutes, chill, top with whipped cream and an extra Oreo for garnish, and enjoy, enjoy.

These mini Oreo cheesecakes are the perfect make-ahead dessert for dinner parties, game days, or anytime you’re craving a sweet treat. And while I love making this recipe with classic Oreos, feel free to experiment with whatever Oreo flavors you love best.

Let’s make some Oreo cheesecakes!

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Blackberry Red Wine Chocolate Cake

This boozy twist on a classic chocolate layer cake is made with red wine for a rich and robust chocolate cake with unique fruity undertones and an incredible depth of flavor unlike any other chocolate cake you’ve had before. Three layers of moist, deeply chocolate cake, with blackberry preserves and a fluffy vanilla bean buttercream […]

The post Blackberry Red Wine Chocolate Cake first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Three layers of moist, deeply chocolate cake, with blackberry preserves and a fluffy vanilla bean buttercream in between, and a drizzle of dark chocolate glaze for a dramatic effect that’s as easy as it is impressive. Top it with some gold-brushed blackberries for some serious flair!

Blackberry Red Wine Chocolate Cake with shiny chocolate glaze dripping down the sides, with gold-dusted blackberries as decoration.

Taylor recently celebrated a milestone birthday, and it felt appropriate to re-make one of our all-time favorite cake recipes (and yours too!) This cake was first made back in 2012, 11 years ago to the day actually (scroll down to the bottom to see the original photos if you’re looking for a laugh). Since then it’s been made and loved by countless readers and fans, for birthdays and celebrations and non-celebrations alike.

Why is it so beloved? Other than being gosh darn delicious, and easy to boot, I suspect the glamor of red wine adds to the mystique of this recipe. It just sounds fancy, doesn’t it? At its most basic it is a classic chocolate layer cake, yes, but the red wine brings out the fruity notes of the chocolate, adding a unique depth of flavor that makes for a truly unforgettable cake. Add to that a layer of blackberry preserves, a fluffy vanilla bean buttercream, and a drizzle of dark chocolate glaze… what you end up with is simply perfection (frankly there’s no other way to put it).

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