Oatmeal Muffins (add your own fruit of choice) from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Oatmeal Muffins - made several times in November 2025 from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Blueberry

1 cup milk

1 cup whole oats

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 large egg

1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries or other chopped fruit

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine oats and milk, covering oats completely. Let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 12-capacity muffin tins with cupcake liners.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
4. In microwave-safe bowl or large glass measuring cup, melt butter and let cool slightly. Add maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract, whisking until combined.
5. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture, mixing with fork until combined. Do not over mix.
6. Add oats and milk, mixing gently until uniform thickness; do not overmix. Fold in blueberries or whatever chopped fruit you're using.
7. Evenly divide batter amongst all twelve cupcake liners, filling to top. Lightly sprinkle with oats and/or chopped nuts if desired.
8. Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes then turn down the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake another 16-18 minutes for a total of 21-23 minutes in the oven or until a toothpick inserted in several muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes then remove from muffin tin.

The original title of these muffins was Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins but I ended up making 3 versions of this recipe since it was so versatile so I'm calling them more generically as oatmeal muffins. 

The first time I made them with blueberries as the original recipe directed. But I made the mistake of not reading the recipe ahead of time and didn't realize you were supposed to soak the oats in the milk for 20 minutes for the moisture the muffins need. 

Sure enough, they came out a little more heavy and dense than they probably should have. They still tasted good but were definitely better from a texture perspective when warm or warmed up. 

So I was determined to make them properly the second time as I know Sally's Baking Addiction has good recipes. Especially if you follow them correctly, ha.

Banana Pecan

To mix things up, I went with banana pecan for the second attempt. We had some rapidly ripening bananas so I took a couple, chopped them into chunks and folded them into the (properly made) batter. I didn't mash them like I would for banana bread but instead kept the banana as chunks. 

I had used agave for the blueberry version but that didn't add much flavor or sweetness. The second time around I used maple syrup and that seemed to work better to give it a tiny bit more flavor. The chopped banana chunks worked beautifully to add some soft texture and pockets of sweetness. Plus the toasted pecans on top added a nice crunch and flavor.

I'm trying not to make things so sweet nowadays so my grand nephew can partake without imbibing too much sugar. These turned out to be a fairly healthy snack for him.

We all enjoyed the base recipe of these muffins so much that I made them a third time when my niece and nephew in law invited neighbors over for an informal Sunday meet and greet. For the third version, I chopped a Fuji apple into chunks and also went with pecans on top.

I liked them but I think it would've been better from a texture perspective to use a Granny Smith apple which I didn't have at the time. The Fuji worked from a sweetness perspective as, again, these muffins aren't that sweet. A Granny Smith would've softened more in baking.

But these were still pretty good. Since these were for company, I fancied up a few slightly by drizzling warm salted caramel over the top. That turned out pretty well as the caramel added more sweetness and gooeyness. If you want to keep these on the healthy side, obviously you can skip the caramel.

Overall, I was impressed by the versatility of these muffins. They're easy to make, don't take that long to bake, and have good flavor and texture. Just don't forget to soak the oats in the milk first.

Lemon Sugar Crumb Cake from The View from Great Island

Lemon Sugar Crumb Cake - made October 29, 2025 from The View from Great Island 

All italicized adjustments are for high altitude only

Zest from 1 lemon

2 cups granulated sugar (reduce by 1 to 3 tablespoons per cup of sugar)

3 cups all-purpose flour (add 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup of flour)

1 tablespoon baking powder (reduce by 1/8-1/4 teaspoon per teaspoon of leavening)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold

2/3 cup milk (add 2-4 tablespoons per cup of extra liquid)

2 large eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (increase temp by 10-15 degrees in high altitude). Line 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Zest lemon over the granulated sugar in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Stir together and rub zest into sugar until fragrant.
3. Whisk in flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Cut cold butter into tablespoons and cut into dry ingredients until mixture resembles small pebbles and butter is evenly distributed. Measure out 1 cup of mixture, squeeze into large clumps and place in freezer while you prepare the rest of the batter.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add to the remaining mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
6. Spread batter in an even layer in prepared pan, smooth top then break topping into smaller clumps and sprinkle over top.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  

Since I was getting annoyed with my inconsistent baking results in my new high altitude environment, I finally succumbed and made a few tweaks recommended for high altitude baking. The general adjustments are in parentheses against some of the ingredients in the recipe. YMMV if you want to make similar tweaks, depending on the altitude in your location.

This turned out pretty well in that the cake didn't rise then collapse because of the altitude, hopefully due to my tweaks. The flavor was also good and I liked the texture as it was dense-fluffy-soft. Not quite a pound cake but not quite as fluffy as a cake mix cake. But better tasting.

The only thing I didn't like about this recipe is you're supposed to reserve a cup for the crumb mixture on top. In an ideal baking world, your butter crumbles would be perfectly uniform and evenly dispersed through the mixture so when you reserve a cup, it's exactly the same as the mixture that make up the actual cake.

Yeah, that ideal doesn't live in my kitchen. The cup I reserved was more dry flour than butter. So I ended up cutting a few extra tablespoons of butter into the reserve mixture until I was satisfied it was crumbly enough for a crumble and wasn’t just flour.

I'm glad I made that adjustment as the topping was just right with some large and medium streusel, not merely flour dust. So don't be afraid to do something similar if you don't like how your streusel crumble looks.

Crumbl Copycat Caramel Pumpkin Cookies from Lifestyle of a Foodie

Crumbl Copycat Caramel Pumpkin Cookies - made dough October 19, 2025 from Lifestyle of a Foodie

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

5 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons caramel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon caramel extract, optional

pumpkin pie spice for dusting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add egg yolk, pumpkin puree and vanilla, mixing until combined.
3. Add flour, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, mixing on low speed until just combined.
4. Portion dough into 8 equal-sized dough balls. Cover and chill at least an hour.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Evenly space 4 dough balls per cookie sheet and evenly flatten to a 1" thickness. Bake, one sheet at a time,  for 12-13 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for 20 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
7. Make frosting: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter until well combined and creamy, about 3 minutes.
8. Add caramel, vanilla and powdered sugar, whisking until well combined and fluffy, for about 3-4 minutes. Using a piping bag or a ziploc bag with a corner snipped off, frost cooled cookies. Lightly dust with pumpkin pie spice before serving.

One recipe is supposed to make eight large cookies. I apparently like my cookies even bigger as I only got seven out of one batch. I'd had this recipe on my pinterest board for awhile but hadn't made them earlier because if you want the true Crumbl copycat experience, you have to frost them. And I didn't want to eat 7 frosted cookies.

Fortunately, my niece and nephew in law were having friends over so it gave me an excuse to try the recipe in all its frosted glory. The cookies baked up nicely, stayed thick and didn't spread too much. I made the frosting at my niece's house but since she had loaned me her Kitchen Aid mixer which was sitting back at my apartment, I ended up beating the frosting ingredients by hand. Which I did a little too much trying to get the butter and cream cheese lumps out. So the frosting ended up a little soft and runny. Oops.

I also tried to be authentic to the Crumbl version and sprinkled cinnamon on top and drizzled it with caramel. Normally I don't go to that kind of trouble when I just want a(n) unfrosted cookie but in for a penny, in for (a few more) pound(s).

This was delicious. The texture was just right and I liked the cinnamon and caramel. The frosting wasn't bad either but would've been better if I could've used a mixer to mix it properly without overbeating it to such a soft state. But again, First World problems. We move on.

As a side note, it's still hard for me to write these blogs posts as if the state of the country is normal when it so is not. But I read posts from a lot of thoughtful, intelligent, rational people and a common theme is not to let what's happening to our country take our joy away. It's okay and actually recommended, to find joy where we can, to not give in to despair or anger. Because that's how authoritarians win, when we're bowed under from the stress, frustration, despair, anger. Not letting them destroy our joy is key. To keep our happiness and our humanity and let that fuel our compassion, our persistence and our actions. So whether that's baking cookies and sharing them, "stress quilting" (I'm working on a new quilt), exercising, reading a good book or whatever replenishes you, do it. Fuel up and keep going.

Brown Butter Biscoff Snickerdoodles from Two Peas and Their Pod

Brown Butter Biscoff Snickerdoodles - made dough October 19, 2025 from Two Peas and Their Pod

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cookie butter

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup cookie butter for the filling

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. In a heavy medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until milk solids turn a golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cooled brown butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Cream together until well combined. 
4. Add cookie butter and mix until smooth and combined. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined.
5. Add dry ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed, until just combined.
6. Cover dough and chill for at least 30 minutes.
7. Form the dough into small balls and flatten slightly. Press an indent into 1 dough ball and place a teaspoon of cookie butter in the indent. Cover with a second dough ball, pinch seams together and roll into a smooth ball, ensuring no cookie butter filling is exposed. Repeat until all dough is formed. Cover and chill another 30 minutes.
8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough balls in mixture, covering completely. Evenly space on prepared baking sheets.
9. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw or shiny. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely. 

Cookie butter meets snickerdoodle. That's the best way to describe these cookies as they're "stuffed" with cookie butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar prior to baking. 

These were good. A bit sweeter than I expected and a little more crisp than I normally like my cookies but those are my fussy taste buds talking. I gave 4 of them away to someone, expecting she'd eat two and give two to her husband. After we met and I handed off the cookies, she texted me later and confessed she ate two in the car on her way home and hid the other two from her husband. LOLOL. You can't ask for a more genuine testimonial than that. I guess she liked the cookies.

Crumbl Cookies review #101 - Martha Stewart Coconut Cake and Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Crumbl Cookies review #101 - Martha Stewart Coconut Cake and Pumpkin Sheet Cake, visited November 3, 2025

Still trying to catch up on my Crumbl reviews. This'll be a short one. Crumbl made a big deal of this collab with Martha Stewart. I didn't pay much attention other than to see her logo over the dessert descriptions. I only got 2 which were all I wanted to try from the options: the coconut cake and the pumpkin sheet cake.

I went on a Monday which I normally try not to do as I like to give the Crumbl employees a few days to perfect that week's offerings. As you can see from the first picture, whoever piped the frosting on the coconut cake hadn't quite nailed it. But, I don't sweat that stuff so it wasn't a big deal. The cake was good, nice and fluffy. I would've liked more coconut in the cake however but that's me as a coconut lover.

I don't know that I'd get this again but at least the surcharge wasn't too crazy: $4.69 regular cookie price + $0.49 surcharge = $5.18.

The Pumpkin Sheet Cake was also good but in all honesty, I couldn't tell you the difference between this and the Pumpkin Cake from a couple weeks ago. Except this pumpkin sheet cake had a massive amount of frosting vs the pumpkin cake had a nice thin glaze. Good in terms of taste but thumbs down on that much frosting. This was the same price as the Coconut Cake: $4.69 regular cookie price + $0.49 surcharge = $5.18.