Apple Buttermilk Cake

We ended up celebrating Thanksgiving with the Dewey family. They always include us in their family events and treat us like we are part of the family. They are the best! We had a great time with everyone.

It was a last minute decision to go, so I had to create something easy to share. I made a salad with apples, dried cranberries, almonds, and feta. I also baked an apple buttermilk cake. I thought it would be a nice addition to all of the traditional holiday pies.

The cake has a buttery, buttermilk base and is topped with apple slices. I used Granny Smith and sprinkled them with cinnamon and brown sugar before baking. It gave the cake a nice sweet crust. The cake has a moist crumb and the apples are nice and tender. This is an easy cake to make and a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it even better.

The holidays are here! If there are any specific holiday recipes you would like to see in December, just let me know. I am going to start my holiday baking this week. I can't wait!

If you didn't finish your shopping on Black Friday, check out my holiday gift idea post. I hope you find it helpful!

Apple Buttermilk Cake

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of fresh nutmeg

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup shaken buttermilk

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, and sliced

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

A little bit of extra cinnamon

Turbinado sugar (to sprinkle on top of cake)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat until combined.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.

In a small bowl combine the apple slices with the brown sugar and extra cinnamon. Stir until apples are coated.

Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Place sliced apples evenly over top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you wish.

If you like this apple buttermilk cake, you might also like:

Plum Nectarine Buttermilk Cake from Two Peas and Their Pod

Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake from 101 Cookbooks

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake from Dishing Up Delights

Buttermilk Spice Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting from One Perfect Bite

Peach Almond Cake from Two Peas and Their Pod

Mixed Berry Cobbler Recipe

My dad was visiting from Illinois last week. We really enjoyed having him around. He insisted on celebrating Thanksgiving while he was in town. It is his favorite holiday-good food, football, and family. We designated Saturday as our Thanksgiving and cooked up a feast.

I only have one oven so we woke up early on Saturday and started preparing the big meal. On the menu: turkey, sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh cranberry orange sauce, spinach salad with pomegranate/oranges, roasted vegetables, potato rolls, and mixed berry cobbler for dessert. Wow, that is a lot of food! I got tired just typing it out. We were in the kitchen all day. It was fun though, I love cooking with my dad.

I don't even like Thanksgiving foods-I don't eat meat, not a stuffing or mashed potato fan, etc. but I still had a great time with my family. I really enjoyed the salad, roasted veggies, and my dad's potato rolls are the BEST! If you are looking for a good roll recipe for your turkey day, try my dad's:)

Josh requested berry cobbler for dessert, I think he is sick of all of my pumpkin creations:) I used frozen berries-blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries from Costco. The cobbler dough was easy to mix up. I love rustic desserts, nothing fancy, but still extremely tasty. I topped the cobbler with vanilla ice cream and no one complained about not having anything pumpkin:)

If you are looking for a dessert to please your friends and family, try my berry cobbler this year.

Our feast was a success. The food was good, but spending time with my family was the best part. Thanks to everyone that has been keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers. My little nephew's surgery went well, but he is still struggling. We really appreciate your love and support.

Mixed Berry Cobbler

(Printable Recipe)

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

7 cups mixed berries, I used frozen (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon zest

Fresh lemon juice

Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In the bowl of a mixer, mix the butter, sugar, and 1 tsp. of lemon zest until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides if necessary. On low add about half of the buttermilk, stir and add in half of the flour. Add in the rest of the buttermilk and then the rest of the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Don't over mix.

Put the berries in the baking dish. Add the lemon zest and spritz the berries with fresh lemon juice. Next, add the sugar and cornstarch. Stir everything together in the baking dish.

With a spoon, drop the cobbler dough onto the berries. The dough will be sticky. Sprinkle the dough with the turbinado sugar.

Bake the cobbler for about 45 minutes, until the berries are bubbling and the dough is golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then serve. It is best with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

If you like this cobbler, you might also like:

Pear, Blueberry, and Ginger Cobbler from Cookin' Canuck

Apple Cobbler from Baking and Books

Peach Cobbler from Under the High Chair

Blackberry Cobbler from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Plum Nectarine Buttermilk Cake

I am sure most of you have seen or even baked the fabulous Raspberry Buttermilk Cake from Gourmet. When I saw the recipe I immediately added it to my "must" bake list. I love baking with buttermilk and fresh fruit desserts are so good right now.

I didn't have any raspberries, but I did have a drawer full of plums and nectarines. I decided to try those instead. I loved the color contrast of the two fruits. This cake is simple to throw together and doesn't take long to bake. You don't have to worry about frosting either. The fruit and sugary crust adds the perfect amount of sweetness.

I can't wait to try this cake with other summer fruits. The possibilities are endless!

Plum Nectarine Buttermilk Cake

Adapted from Gourmet

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Plums and nectarines, chopped (I used a mix of the 2 fruits-to equal 1 1/4 cups)

Turbinado sugar (I added this)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter chopped plums and nectarines evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar. I also used a little Turbinado sugar. Just sprinkle some over the cake if you wish. It gave it a nice extra sugary crunch.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

Recipe for Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cookies

Our summer has been really busy and I haven't had much time to bake, but last week I made time to create a special birthday treat for a friend. I was in a summery mood, so I decided to go with a lemon blueberry cookie.

I love lemon so I made sure there was plenty of zest involved. I didn't want the cookies to turn blue, so I waited to add the blueberries. I scooped the dough onto the cookie sheets and then tucked 4 to 5 berries into each cookie. After the cookies cooled, I added a lemon glaze. These cookies are light, fluffy, and lemony. The blueberries are the hidden gems in these cookies. They add a nice burst of summer.

When I made these cookies last week I posted a photo on Twitter. I had several requests for the recipe, so here you go! Your wishes are finally granted.

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cookies

(Printable Recipe)

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Zest of two large lemons
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk

Fresh blueberries

Glaze:
Confectioners sugar

Fresh lemon juice

Lemon zest

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. I used my Silpats. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub them together with your fingers until well mixed. This brings out the lemon flavor.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar/lemon mixture and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat well to mix. Add the vanilla, and beat on low. Mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leave about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Tuck 4-5 blueberries into each cookie. Try to make sure they are hidden. Bake one sheet at a time for about 11 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes; then transfer them to a wire rack.

For the glaze, whisk together the sifted confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. I never measure, just guess until you get the right consistency and flavor. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies.

Lemon Buttermilk Shortcakes with Berries

Thank you for all of your well wishes. We had a very happy Anniversary. Florida was our big celebration, so we just relaxed and enjoyed the day at home. Josh did surprise me with whole wheat French toast and berries for breakfast. He also bought me flowers and a card. He's really a great hubs:)

I did make Josh a special dessert to celebrate, Lemon Buttermilk Shortcakes with Berries. I found this recipe a few weeks ago on Former Chef and knew I had to save it for a special occasion.

The shortcakes were light and fluffy with a hint of lemon. I cut up strawberries and blueberries and drizzled them with agave nectar. I also added in some lemon juice and zest to bring out the lemon flavor. I let the berries sit for about an hour in the fridge so they were nice and juicy.

I cut the shortcakes in half and piled them with berries. We skipped the traditional whipped cream since we aren't huge fans. I think the fresh berries were sweet enough on their own, but Josh added a little vanilla ice cream. This is a perfect dessert for summer!

Lemon Buttermilk Shortcakes with Berries
Adapted from Former Chef

(Printable Recipe)

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. Cold Butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup Buttermilk
Zest of one lemon
2 tsp Lemon juice
Milk, cream, or Half and Half-for brushing on shortcakes
Turbinado sugar

Strawberries
Blueberries
Agave Nectar
Extra lemon juice/zest

Prepare the berries. Cut strawberries and stir in blueberries. Drizzle berries with agave nectar, a splash of lemon juice, and a bit of lemon zest. Stir and let sit in the fridge for about an hour so the berries get juicy.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl. Mix in the lemon zest with a whisk.

Cut in the cold butter until it resembles dry oatmeal. Use a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands. Pour in the buttermilk and lemon juice and mix with a spoon just until the dough starts to come together. Don't over mix the dough. If it is really dry, add more buttermilk, but just a little bit. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead into a ball. Do this quickly and don't over knead.

Roll out the dough to about 3/4 inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter, glass or cookie cutter. You can form the scraps into a ball and roll out again. The recipe made 7 biscuits for me.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk, cream, or half and half and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve with berries. You can add whipped cream or ice cream if you wish!

Recipe for Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Happy Friday! I am so glad my weekend has already started. It was a busy week at work for me. I work for Healthy Utah, the worksite wellness program for the state. Every year we have a conference for our wellness council members. The conference was yesterday and it went really well. We had speakers address nutrition and physical activity at work, tobacco free worksites, and we also launched a new "Work Well" Challenge. It was a lot of work, but everything went well. I am still glad it is over though:)

The other night we made breakfast for dinner. We do this a lot because we rarely have time to make anything fancy or special in the morning. I usually just eat my oatmeal at my desk. I've been wanting to try buckwheat flour for awhile, so we made Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes.

Buckwheat flour has a rich, nutty flavor and is high in protein and fiber. It is also gluten free. We mixed the buckwheat flour with whole wheat flour. I loved the texture and flavor of these pancakes. They were wholesome and filling. We added in fresh blueberries which really made these pancakes special.

If you are looking for a new healthy breakfast or even dinner option, try these pancakes! This batch made enough for about six people. We had extras, so we put some in the freezer to reheat on busy mornings! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Adapted from Ellie Krieger

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

3/4 cup skim milk

1 T honey

2 eggs

2 T. sugar

1 T. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup of fresh blueberries

Extra blueberries and fruit for serving (optional)

Powdered sugar

Maple Syrup

In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat together the buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. Stir in berries.

Preheat a large nonstick griddle. You can use a skillet if you don't have a griddle. Ladle the batter onto the hot griddle or skillet , use about a 1/4 cup batter. Flip the pancake when it is golden brown on the bottom and there are lots of bubbles. Don't flip them too soon. Cook the other side until golden brown. Serve hot with syrup and extra fruit, if you wish!

Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Cookies

I love baking with buttermilk, as most of you know. I recently made lemon buttermilk cookies and they were fantastic. I decided to try them again, but with a twist.

This time I made cranberry orange cookies. The base is the same, but I added in orange zest and dried cranberries. I finished the cookies off with a orange glaze. So how do they compare to the lemon? It is a toss up, I love them both.

I really enjoyed the dried cranberries. They gave the cookies a little something extra. The orange glaze was nice too. I think I will add these to my fall/holiday baking list. They really are wonderful and cranberry/orange is such a great combination.

Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Cookies

(Printable Recipe)

For the cookies:

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Zest of one orange
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For the glaze:

Confectioners sugar
Orange juice, fresh from the orange

Orange zest

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the dried cranberries in a small bowl with hot water. Allow them to sit for a couple of minutes. Then drain. This just plumps them up:)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter briefly, until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat well to mix. Add the vanilla, and beat briefly again. Mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add in the dried cranberries.

Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for about 11 minutes per batch. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute; then transfer them to a wire rack.

For the glaze, whisk together the sifted confectioners sugar, orange juice, and zest. I just guess on the amount. Brush or spoon the glaze onto the warm cookies. Allow cookies to sit on the rack until the glaze is set.

Coconut Lime Cake Recipe

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you know we love all things lime. When I saw Pinch My Salt's Coconut Lime Cake, I immediately bookmarked the recipe. I knew I had to try it.

Joshua had a meeting the other day, so it was the perfect time for me to bake him a cake. I usually don't bake cakes because it is just the two of us, but I knew Josh would devour this one and I was right. He loved it!

The cake was moist with a tender crumb. The cake part was really good, but the glaze is what made it shine. The lime flavor was perfect, not too tart, just right. The dusting of coconut also made it a very pretty cake.

When Josh got home, we enjoyed a piece of cake for dessert. Pure bliss! I will be making this one again.

Coconut Lime Cake
(adapted from Pinch My Salt)

(Printable Recipe)

2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut, divided
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
5 tablespoons lime juice, divided
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line bottom with a round of parchment paper then butter the parchment paper.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Measure out 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and process in a mini food processor until very finely chopped (you can also finely chop it with a knife). Stir the chopped coconut into the flour mixture and set aside. Combine buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of lime juice; set aside.

3. Beat together butter, sugar, and lime zest with an electric mixer until very fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Turn mixer to low speed, add one third of the flour mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. Spoon batter into the buttered cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of a preheated 350 degree oven until golden and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool to warm, then turn out of pan and discard parchment.

5. Whisk together powdered sugar and the remaining three tablespoons of lime juice. Poke top of cake all over with a fork then pour glaze over the cake. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of coconut.

Buttermilk Biscuit Bread

Once again I needed to use up some buttermilk. I don't know why I always buy so much and wait until the last minute, but it always happens. Oh well, I am glad because then it forces me to bake and try new recipes.

This time I tried a Buttermilk Biscuit Bread. It was a simple recipe and all of the ingredients are probably in your kitchen already. If you don't have a buttermilk obsession like me and don't have any on hand, you can add lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk and use that.

The bread was moist, with a nice crumb. It also tasted like a biscuit, but in a loaf form. We sampled it fresh out of the oven and it was good, but I think it was even better the next day. Odd, but true! Josh enjoyed toasting it for breakfast with homemade strawberry jam.

Buttermilk Biscuit Bread

(Printable Recipe)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

Recipe for Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

I love testing out different recipes. I think Joshua gets sick of it though. He is always begging to make some of his favorite recipes that we have made in the past, but I usually shoot him down because I want to try something new. So we rarely eat the same thing twice. If we do it is at least a month later.

I love homemade biscuits and have been testing out different recipes. So far we have posted two of our favorite recipes, one from Pinch My Salt and one from Hell's Backbone Grill. They are both really good, just different.

Well, we tried another new recipe and we loved this one as well. This one came from Cooks Illustrated. It is a drop buttermilk biscuit, so it was super easy to make. The texture was a little more "hearty" than soft and flaky. The biscuits were also a little "thicker" than the others. They were VERY good! I loved the added texture that came with this biscuits and the rustic feel. I enjoyed mine with a drizzle of warm honey.

If you are a biscuit lover, give all of these a try. We love them all. I might have to do a blind taste test to find out my favorite. They are all so tasty!

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

(Printable Recipe)

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits

Procedure

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.

2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.

3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe for Lemon Buttermilk Cookies

We go through a lot of milk at our house. Josh loves skim milk. He can really down it! We always keep a couple of gallons in our extra refrigerator. Luckily, it has been on sale lately:) I also like to keep buttermilk on hand for baking. I don't go through it as fast though. It seems like I am always hurrying to use it before it expires.

The other day I realized I had a carton of buttermilk that was on the verge of being even more sour:) So I decided to get out my mixer and whip up some Lemon Buttermilk Cookies. I have never made buttermilk cookies before, I usually make scones, biscuits, etc. I was excited to try a cookie!

The cookies were very soft and tender, more of a cake texture than a cookie. I am glad I added a lot of lemon zest to the dough and glaze. The lemon flavor was quite nice. They reminded me of Giada's Lemon Ricotta cookies that I have made! If you have made those and loved them, you will love these too! They are both REALLY good! I will be making these again, a sweet way to use up that buttermilk!

Lemon Buttermilk Cookies

Adapted from Gourmet (This is a half batch, it made about 30 cookies)

(Printable Recipe)

For the cookies:

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Zest of two lemons (I added extra, I love lemon)
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For the glaze:
¾ cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 ½ Tbsp. well-shaken buttermilk
¼ tsp. vanilla extract

Lemon zest (I added this)

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter briefly, until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat well to mix. Add the vanilla, and beat briefly again. Mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for about 11 minutes per batch. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute; then transfer them to a wire rack.

For the glaze, whisk together the sifted confectioners sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. I also added in lemon zest. Brush or spoon the glaze onto the warm cookies. Allow cookies to sit on the rack until the glaze is set.

Recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits

I am not a Southern gal, I grew up in Illinois and now live in Utah, but I do enjoy a good biscuit...and by good I mean tender, flaky, buttery, hot, melt in your mouth good! I love my biscuits with honey or homemade jam. My mouth is watering right now:)

I recently tried a recipe from Pinch My Salt. She really did her research on how to make the perfect buttermilk biscuit. I suggest you read this post! It was extremely helpful in my biscuit making adventure.

I followed all of the tips and tricks...used really cold butter, used some cake flour, didn't twist when cutting, etc. I am glad I did because my biscuits were everything I wanted them to be..and then some!! If you are a biscuit lover, do your research and then get in the kitchen! You are going to love these!

You can find the recipe and tips here! ENJOY!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Everyone is wondering how we find the time to cook and bake so much. We are not slaves to our kitchen, we just work as a team...four hands are much better than two:) So while I am sifting the dry ingredients, Josh is measuring out the liquids...or while Josh is making the dough, I am working on the sauce, etc. So recipes come together in no time! Josh is my side-kick. We do almost everything together. Being in the kitchen is so fun for us!

So with that said...I had nothing to do with this meal:) It was all Josh. I had to work late so he made me dinner all by his lonesome. He tries to cook for me a lot, but I usually won't let him because I enjoy helping. I can't relax if I know he is in the kitchen cooking up a storm. It is not fair to let him have all the fun! But this time I wasn't home so he surprised me with a terrific meal.

We love having breakfast foods for dinner, sometimes it is too hard to cook a big meal in the mornings...except for on weekends. So when I walked in the door to the smell of pancakes cooking on the griddle, I was very excited. I was even more excited when I saw the plump blueberries inside. YUM!!!

Josh made Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with the works. He knows I don't like eggs that much but I do appreciate scrambled egg whites so he made those and some hashbrowns. He also cooked up some sausage for his plate. I don't eat the stuff.

The meal was very tasty!! I have the greatest husband!!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup flour (I use half whole wheat)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk, plus 2 Tablespoons
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Optional toppings-syrup, powdered sugar, jam, etc.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Pour into flour mixture and stir lightly until just combined. The batter will be lumpy and that is OK! Grease a non-stick skillet and cook pancakes on medium heat. As soon as you pour the batter on the griddle, drop the blueberries on the pancake. Cook until the edges bubble. Flip and cook other side. Serve with syrup, etc. Really any toppings you want!