so, it seems that everyone and their mother is baking banana bread during this quarantine time… I decided, you know what, it is time to hop on the band wagon and bake it myself. And honestly, I get why they even bake in the beginning. It is super relaxing; keeps your mind of the whole thing and you get to eat something somewhat healthy and delicious.
But here I am with limited products at home and a shit ton of brown bananas. No butter, not a lot of eggs left and no fancy adding’s like chocolate chips.
I also added a lot of cinnamon and I did two batches and to the second one I added 1/4 cup of cacao powder that I had left. You can always change the recipe around if you like. You can add nuts, chocolate chips or anything you think would taste amazing in it.
What are some of your favorite banana bread recipes? Let me know. I’m always down to try something new.
in today’s blog post I am sharing with you my favorite cookie recipe I like to use for baking. Christmas is a time where I spent most of my days in the kitchen, I just love every taste of Christmas and I love Christmas baking.
This recipe is super easy and super quick to follow. I made my dough on Wednesday and wanted to make them on that day, but was not able to, so I did them today, hence why the entry today is a little bit late.
Ingredients
500g flour
2 flattened teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
200g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 g butter
Instructions
Melt the butter and let it cool down.
Preheat the oven to 175 celsius.
Mix flour and baking powder together.
Mix sugar, vanilla extract and butter together.
Slowly whisk in the flour until you have a smooth dough. You might need to use your hands after mixing in half of the flour to knead the dough.
Let the dough sit in a colder room or in the fridge for 30 minutes up to an hour, but you can also leave the dough for a couple of days in the fridge or even freeze it.
Roll out the dough with some extra flour and cut out the cookies.
Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.
Feel free to vary the recipe, you can add some ground up nuts or decorate it after with chocolate. Do whatever you want!
I hope you enjoyed today’s entry and I wish you all a wonderful day!
in today’s blog post I am sharing with you a simple and easy Banana Bread recipe. I love bananas and I am a huge fan of using browned bananas for new recipes, just like this ‘Banana Bread’.
I added some leftover chocolate from Easter, but you can literally add anything you want. I added walnuts once and that was amazing too! What are some of your favorite ingredients to add to Banana Bread?
Ingredients:
2 – 3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 175 Degrees.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Let it cool off.
Peel and mush the bananas in a bowl.
Add egg, sugar, vanilla, melted butter, salt and cinnamon to the bananas and combine them. You can use an electric whisk for this as it smooths down the batter with the bananas in them even more!
Now add flour and baking powder and combine until smooth.
If you like you could add some chocolate to the mixture and fold it in. I just smashed up a chocolate Easter bunny I had left over.
Transfer the batter to a bread pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until you can stick the bread with a toothpick an now batter is left on it. But be careful not to burn yourself!
I hope you enjoyed this entry and if you decide to bake this banana bread, send me your pictures on Twitter or Instagram. I would love to see them!
today I’m sharing all the things with you I like to do when it’s too cold and too grim outside. Enjoy!
Reading a Book, Cozying up with a Blanket & Hot Tea
Winter time is tea time. Well, it’s in my house. I love tea! In this picture I’m drinking a berry flavored tea, it was so good, well until I knocked it over with my feet. I’m so clumsy sometimes. Winter time also means you get more time to read, well in my case not so much, unless it’s the holidays, but you all know how much I love to read. And most important is a warm fuzzy blanket.
Watching Movies & Tv Shows on Netflix
We all love Netflix, but I think it gets more use during the Winter months. Don’t you think? I love to rewatch all series or watch Holiday movies. Here are my Top 10 Movies and Tv Shows I like to watch:
How I Met Your Mother
Friends
Gilmore Girls
The Walking Dead (although I’m still stuck somewhere in the 5th Season)
Pretty Little Liars
When Harry Met Sally
Big Hero Six
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Breakfast Club
Love Actually
Slipping into something cozy & Spa-Day
Winter time is the time of the warm, oversized sweaters and super cute slippers, but also the time where I like to take some extra minutes for my skin care. Here are some DIY Face Mask Ideas and some super cute sweaters:
Now, I also like to do some University stuff, and when I can I also prepare stuff that happens after the holidays, so I have more free time in the beginning of the year. I also bake and cook a lot more during Winter, because obviously, I have to try out new baking ideas for Christmas. And also I like to test the meals I’m going to cook for my annual Christmas Dinner with friends. And a dance party on your own: Do I have to explain that one? Just kidding, but I think a solo dance party here and there avoids winter blues.
I hope you enjoyed today’s entry and if you did make sure to show it some love. I would really appreciate it! What do you do on cold Winter days? Tell me in the comments.
today I am sharing with you 10 of my destress methods, when I feel tense and stressed. Stress isn’t good for your mind, nor your body, so I try not to let it get it in my head too much, but you know, sometimes the world doesn’t move like you want or you just have to much on your plate. So here are 10 things I do when I’m stressed and need a timeout:
Read a book
I’m a book sucker. I love reading and it’s one of the things I love most doing to destress. Other than watching a movie I really feel involved in the story line and my imagination just runs wild when I read. Simply put, you just don’t have time to think about your life, because you’re imagining this world created by an author. Here are 5 books I would recommend for you, that I absolutely loved:
At the beginning of this year I also took some time to write down book titles that I wanted to read. I thought I would share them with you! Have you read any of them? Let me know in the comments and tell me what you thought about them! Here are my Top 5 “Want to Read” books:
Music can just be as addicting as a good book. So of course this is on my list of things to destress. A good song can change your mood in seconds. Sometimes when I feel extremely stressed I pick one song (whatever one comes to my mind) and dance to it, you can literally feel the stress fading away. My playlist changes monthly, so here is what I’ve been listening to these past couple of weeks:
Coloring
If you’ve seen my January Favorites 2016 you know that a Coloring Book for Adults has been a favorite of mine. And it is a great way to destress! There are so many great options out there so everyone can find something they’re going to like. Here are 5 options of a coloring book:
I love a good hot bath! I usually go bathing once a week, mostly on Sundays! It’s so relaxing and you get to just lay there and do nothing or read a book! When I get the chance I use my favorite Lush bath bomb (Pink Bath Bomb) but anything that makes bubbles I love, there are even relaxing scents in the bath section in a drugstore near by! I love it!
Do Yoga
So, this has been added quite recently to be honest, but I’ve been doing Yoga for about 2 weeks now, and it’s strangely very calming. I follow the instructions of Adrienne, she has her own YouTube Channel called Yoga with Adrienne and I love her, she has a very calm voice and her Yoga for Beginners Video is the one I’m doing most of the time, but when I’m stressed I follow the instructions of this video:
Turn my phone off
Yes, that’s a thing! You can actually turn your phone off and trust me when I say it’s the most relaxing thing EVER! We’re so used to be connected with the outside world, that we don’t actually experience it anymore, so to turn your phone off, whether it’s for an hour or a whole day, changes a lot! I don’t do this regularly, but when I feel anxious and stressed, I turn my phone off and don’t use any device that connects to the internet! I just take a book, or a coloring book, and read or color in. It’s super de-stressing and the urge to look at your phone every 5 minutes is gone very soon! Trust me.
Go on a walk
Fresh air and exercise is probably one of the best things you can do when you feel claustrophobic and stressed! It clears your mind so much and I absolutely love to go on walks! Sometimes I go alone and sometimes I ring a friend up and walk with her. Nature is a very calming thing and to see something else than just the screen of a computer or whatever it is you do daily is a good way to destress!
Watch YouTube Videos
Now this might seems to be a bit out there, but it works for me. I love watching videos, my favorite kind are Vlogs or funny compilation videos. To have a sneak in somebody else’s life, especially when they are productive and positive turns my mood around in an instance and I want to do stuff. And to watch a funny compilation videos I mean who doesn’t do that, right? Laughing is, and always has been, the best medicine for everything. Who do you like to watch? I’m always on the look for new YouTubers to watch. Tell me in the comments.
Baking
I love baking more than cooking. Not just because I think I am a better baker than cook, but mostly because the result is much prettier. I love trying new things and explore the world of sweets and healthier options of my favorite things and I find it very relaxing to put together the ingredients and create something with my hands. Over the last couple of months I created a lot of new things and shared them with you, so if you want to give baking a go as a destress method, here are three of my baking recipes:
Last but not least, hanging out with my friends. I love my friends, hence why they are my friends, but when I’m with them I always feel better and forget the world a bit, while we’re goofing around. This is probably THE BEST WAY to destress, hanging out with your friends, talking with them, laughing until you’re crying, watching a movie or try out the fun filters on SnapChat (by the way if you want to follow me there, my username is: xoxojasmin91).
I hope I could give you a good overview on the things I do when I need to destress! Let me know in the comments, what your ideas are!
surprise! yet another entry on a Wednesday this month! I hope you don’t mind but I wanted to share this recipe with you before it is Christmas, so that you might have something to bake! I’m sharing my Christmas Swirl Sugar Cookies recipe with you today. I hope you enjoy it and if you recreate them make sure to take photos and tag me on them on any social media!
The Results – What they look like
ingredients – what you will need
140g Icing Sugar
1tsp Vanilla
1 Egg Yolk
250g Butter (cut into small chunks)
red and green food coloring
Sprinkles
instructions – what you have to do
Preheat the oven to 190 C. Using a wooden spoon mix together the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and the egg yolk. Add the flour and mix until it is all combined to form a dough.
Separate the dough into three equals chunks. Wrap one of the chunks in clean film and to the other two add the food coloring and color them in. Wrap them in clean film as well and put the dough in the fridge for half an hour.
Roll out your doughs in a similar shade and put the dough without food coloring as your base, lay over the green one and lastly the red. Slowly roll the dough together and wrap it again in clean film and put it for another 30 minutes in the fridge.
Cut the dough into little pieces. Use some egg yolk on the edges to give the sprinkles something to stick to and roll the cookies through it.
Put the tray into the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes until they are lightly golden brown. And after that they should look something like that:
I hope you liked this entry, make sure to give it a thumbs up if you did! Let me know in the comments, if you ever tried to make them!
I wish you all a wonderful day and Merry Christmas!
today I am sharing my Devil’s Food Cake recipe with you! I was baking it for my annual Christmas Dinner with my friends! I hope you enjoy this entry and if you bake this cake yourself, tag me on any social media! I would love to see your recreations!
Results – how the cake looks like
ingredients – what you will need
280g Butter (at Room Temperature)
4cl Espresso
2 tbsp. Honey (I used Agave Syrup)
200ml Milk
110 Cacao Powder (unsweetened)
220g Flour
300g Sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
300g Dark Chocolate
200ml Cream
instructions – what you have to do
Preheat your oven to 180 C. Put 130g of the butter, espresso, honey and milk in a pot and warm it up on low heat until the butter has completely melted.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the cacao powder, flour, baking powder and the vanilla.
Beat the eggs in another bowl until they are frothy. Then add the liquid butter mixture and after you whisk everything together add your dry ingredients.
Spread the mixture into your cake tin and put the cake into the oven for ca. 25 minutes.
Chop your dark chocolate into small chunks and heat the cream up in a small pot on low heat. Mix the rest of the butter with the chocolate and pour over the hot cream and mix until smooth. Let the mixture cool for ca. 10 minutes.
Spread the chocolate mixture onto your cooled down cake and decorate with whatever you like. I used Ferrero Rocher and grated white chocolate.
I hope you liked this entry, make sure to give it a thumbs up if you did! Let me know in the comments, if you ever tried to make a Devil’s Food Cake and what you maybe did differently!
today I am sharing with you my recipe for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting! I hope you like this and bake it for yourself afterwards!
ingredients for the cupcake
112 g Butter
112 g Dark Chocolate
112 g Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 large eggs
100g Flour
a pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
a handful of Chocolate Chips
instructions
Preheat your oven to 175 Celsius (350F).
Melt butter and chocolate. Stir until the butter and chocolate are completely melted. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for a few minutes.
In a large mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients.
Add the two eggs one at a time to your butter chocolate mixture and combine them.
Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients. Don’t over whisk your mixture. I added a splash of milk to make it more smooth. But I think it really depends on the size of your eggs.
Add your chocolate chips to the mixture and fold them in lightly.
Line your cupcake pan with liners. And fill in your mixture. I filled them up half!
Bake your cupcakes 20-25 minutes or until a wooden stick inserted in one of the cupcakes comes out clean. They should look like that:
Let your cupcakes cool down while you prepare the Salted Caramel Frosting.
ingredients for the frosting
115 g Butter
125ml Heavy Cream
1tsp. Vanilla
225g Brown Sugar (I didn’t have enough so I used a mixture of brown and normal sugar)
pinch of Salt
500g Confectioners Sugar, sifted
instructions
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-heat, combine the butter, cream, vanilla, brown sugar, and salt. Let it cook and stir the mixture occasionally, until the sugar melts and the mixture comes to a low simmer; about 4 minutes.
Remove the mixture from heat and let it cool for 2 minutes, then transfer the mixture into a larger mixing bowl.
Add half of the confectioners sugar to it and combine it well. Then add the other half and repeat the step.
Place your mixture into a piping bag and decor your cupcakes as you like it.
Results
What is your favorite frosting for cupcakes? Tell me in the comments. If you liked this entry make sure to give it a thumbs up and feel free to share it on social media.
