Jolene's Recipe Journal

I'm excited to be joining the #MuffinMonday bakers this month, it's been a while! I keep a board on Pinterest full of muffin recipes to try, but I kept coming back to this one from Taste of Home.   

I used my cookie scoop to portion out the dough, it makes it so easy.  Since I omitted the nuts due to allergies and filled the tins more than the recipe stated, I got 30 muffins.


I thinned out my glaze a bit more with the cherry juice, which gave them a gorgeous pink color.


Using the mini chips really lets everything get evenly distributed throughout the muffin. One of my favorite treats is a chocolate covered cherry, and these muffins definitely remind me of those.


#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.


Cherry Chip MuffinsPrint
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This one was the hardest list to put together, because I made so many outstanding desserts this year!


Chocolate Glazed Brownies If you're looking for a rich, decadent chocolatey dessert, this is the recipe for you!


Lemon Totos A bit of a twist on a classic Italian recipe
Mini Chocolate Eclairs with Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream If you ask me what my favorite dessert is, it's a tie between Boston Cream Pie and Eclairs.  I'm a sucker for pastry cream!
Peeps Shortbread Checkerboard There are so many kind of peeps now you can make this checkerboard for almost any occasion!
Sugar Cone Chocolate Chip Cookies These are fantastic on their own, but making absolutely amazing ice cream sandwiches!
Affogato What happens when you take coffee and pour it over ice cream? Something delicious!
Oatmeal Caramel Apple Thumbprints I took my prize winning cookie recipe and took it up a notch!
Lemon Coconut Squares Anything lemon disappears fast around here, especially these squares!
Big & Buttery Ch…

My guys tend to like the same things for dinner over and over, but I managed to try some great new main dish recipes this year.   Balsamic Chicken Fettucine
Filling but not heavy, and packed with so many great flavors and textures!
Spicy Touchdown Chili
Hands down the best chili I've ever made (or eaten)! 
Honey Citrus Chicken Sandwiches
When the snow is too high to get to the grill, I made these inside on the panini press.


Arribbiata with Zucchini Noodles
Finally dug out my spiralizing attachment and put it to good use!
Asparagus, Bacon, and Herbed Cheese Pizza
I love pizza in all it's forms, and I'm always excited when I find asparagus at the market because I know I can make this version. 
Cajun Chicken Pasta
The mixture is great inside a lettuce wrap too!
Parmesan Chicken and Lemon Rice
I've eaten tons of rice and quinoa this year, and have found some great ways to change it up.
Italian Sausage Marinara with Penne
Comfort food that won't weigh you down
Taste of …

The saying goes that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I'll eat breakfast food any time of day!  Today I'm sharing with you the top 10 breakfast recipes from 2019. 
Copycat Dunkin Donuts Power Breakfast Sandwich
When Dunkin Donuts came out with their new Power Breakfast Sandwich I immediately thought, "I can make that at home," so I did!  
PB&J Overnight Oats
My obsession with overnight oats continued into 2019.  So easy to just grab one out of the fridge!
Honey Vanilla Pancakes
Pancakes are another great make ahead breakfast.  Make a double batch and freeze them, and just pop them into the toaster as needed. 


Cheesy Scrambled Egg Stuffed Popovers
Take scrambled eggs to the next level by serving them inside delicious popovers!
Streusel Coffee Cake
I found this treasure in my Gram's recipe box and put a little spin on it.
Old Fashioned Doughnuts
I don't fry often, but these were so worth it!
 Brown Sugar Bacon Palmiers
We're pretty s…

Each year I make a Christmas baking plan that's pretty ambitious.  This year, I'd got in my head that I was going to make some brownies and decorate them like trees, but then I wound up doing some tree shaped shortbread instead. 

Since I already had the brownie mix, I went searching for ideas of how to use it and my friend Sue suggested these Brownie Crackles from Taste of Home.  I had all the ingredients on hand except the semi sweet chips, so I used dark chocolate chips instead.

I think I like these even better than the traditional chocolate crinkles, the flavor and the texture are amazing.  They were a big hit at our gathering on Christmas Eve, so they'll definitely be on the master list for next year!  Thank you to Ellen G. for sharing her recipe, and to Sue for putting it on my radar!



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With ImageWithout Image Brownie Crackles ingredients:1 package fudge brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)1 cup all-purpose flour1 large egg1/2 cup water1/4 cup canola oil1 cup (6 ounc…