I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Pecans

Holiday Bourbon Nut Bundt Cake

This Bourbon Nut Bundt Cake is a fluffy, moist vanilla cake that is studded with nuts and loaded with rich bourbon. It packs a delicious flavorful punch!

I love holiday baking!  You can crank up your oven to stay cozy warm while whipping up a delicious treat to share with family and friends. I have a feeling that your friends and family will love this Bourbon Nut Bundt Cake. It’s a wonderful cake that is easy to whip up and gift. 

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Easy Classic Thanksgiving Pecan Pie

This Easy Classic Thanksgiving Pecan Pie will be the hit of your dessert table. Everyone will love a slice, and you’ll love that it is no fuss baking!

Post Contains Affiliate Links. Read my full disclosure HERE

What is your favorite pie for Thanksgiving? I LOVE pecan pie.

I am basically only looking forward to Thanksgiving this year so that I can enjoy a BIG slice. And some roasted brussels sprouts.

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Sticky Bun Monkey Bread

It’s Babymoon time!!!!

We are going away for a quick Babymoon this weekend. I am so excited!!

Last time, we took a trip to the Florida to visit The Keys for a long weekend but since we are here in Florida now, we are just staying local. I’d love to take another trip to The Keys but I didn’t feel like flying, err spending money on flights, really.

Price found a local resort and spa for us to visit. The idea of a prenatal massage and bumming it by the pool without a toddler asking you to go in and out and in and out again is pure bliss.

Generally, I feel good at 32 weeks but I am so blah and sore all over so I just need my slightly ever present charlie horses to be worked out. (Seriously, they are the worst things ever to wake up to in the middle of the night!!!) Thankfully, Price snagged the last one available for the day and I picked up the required doctor’s note so I am just counting down the minutes until the appointment.

The worst part is that I keep reading things included in our package and it just makes me want to stay forever. Well, more specifically, go back AFTER the baby is born for the unlimited drinks. Hello, unlimited mimosas at brunch!

If you aren’t going away this weekend, I insist you make this Sticky Bun Monkey Bread. It’s stupid good. And goes great with mimosas too. (Truth be told, everything goes with mimosas. It’s a fact!)

 

But seriously, this Sticky Bun Monkey Bread is a real crowd pleaser. It tastes just like a sticky bun with the sticky caramel syrup that you drizzle all over the cinnamon and sugar coated biscuit pieces.

I used refrigerated canned biscuits to make this process easier, but you can follow my recipe for Homemade Monkey Bread for the dough, and then add the nuts and caramel sauce to it.

The caramel is everything. Whatever you do, don’t just dip a finger in there to try it. Nor is it a good idea to immediately grab a piece of monkey bread right after you flip it out on to the serving platter. No, I def didn’t try that and burn the crap out of my fingers and then my mouth as the quickest thing I could think of was ‘ahh my fingers!’ so shoving it in my mouth was the next logical thing to do. Nope…

Let’s fast-forward to the weekend, shall we?

I’ll be ready for my prenatal massage and you will be ready to enjoy this Sticky Bun Monkey Bread. And a few mimosas in my honor.

Sticky Bun Monkey Bread

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 3/4 Cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 3 cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 biscuits per can)
  • 4 ounces of chopped pecans
  • 3/4 Cup butter
  • 1 Cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 Cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Process

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. Spray a tube pan with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nuts in the bottom on the tub pan.
  4. Cut the biscuits in 4 equal pieces. Roll them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture
  5. Add half of the coated biscuit pieces into the tube pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 more nuts. Add the rest of the coated biscuit pieces and then the remaining chopped nuts.
  6. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar. Melt together over medium- high heat. Mix in the cream and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla extract.
  7. Evenly pour the caramel mixture over the coated biscuits.
  8. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
  9. Flip over onto a serving dish. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Pecan Pie

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MAYDAY PEOPLE!!!

We are now less than a week from Thanksgiving. It’s the Super Bowl of food. I’m sure I could come up with something about how the QB is the turkey and the special teams is dessert, but that would be ridiculous as there are times when I barely understand football and, well, it’s just lame. Oh, look I did it… I’m lame.

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German’s Chocolate Pie

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I’ve been looking forward to Friday all week!!

Sure, it means it’s the end of the work week but what it really meant is that I got to share this recipe for German’s Chocolate Pie. Soo yummy!

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Price’s birthday is Monday so I made this pie in honor of that as German’s Chocolate Cake is one of his favorites. I made him a German’s Chocolate Cake (< pardon the old photos!) for his birthday before so I wanted to do that again, but with a twist!

We both loved this pie! It’s such a good combination of chocolate, coconut, and pecans- all elements in German’s Chocolate Cake’s super rich condensed milk based frosting. The pie basically uses the same ingredients as the cake but with a twist.

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When I was making this I was thinking it would be pretty dense from the sweetened condensed milk but it ended up being pretty light and fluffy, which is from beating the eggs very well when they are incorporated into the chocolate and butter. It still was really rich but the light texture helped make it feel a little less indulgent.

Anyway, since it’s almost Price’s birthday we are celebrating it this weekend. We always try to do something big and fun for birthdays so we have a trip planned. There has been plenty of research related to all the good things we can eat and things we can see. At least there will be plenty of walking to help work off all the BBQ!

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Hope you have a great weekend!

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German’s Chocolate Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

  • 2 4-ounce bars Baker’s sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 1/4 Cup unsalted butter
  • 1 13-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 1  Cup  shredded coconut
  • 1 Cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 9-inch unbaked deep-dish pie shell (I used half of this crust recipe)

Process

  • Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
  • In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over medium heat.
  • Removed from the heat, and add the sweetened condensed milk end eggs mix well to fully incorporate.
  • Add the sugar, coconut, and pecans. Stir until blended.
  • Pour into the unbaked pie shell
  • Set pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 -40 minutes, or until the center is set while slightly shaken.
  • Serve warm or after the pie has cooled. Store in refrigerator

Inspired by Easy Baked

Classic Banana Bread

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This is my favorite banana bread.

Hands down FAVORITE.

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Plus it’s simple to make. So simple that I made this one handed. Yep, one handed.

The morning I was making this Autumn wanted to be held but also play with her toys on her mat so about every other minute she would yell from her mat at the top of her lungs and then I’d pick her up, she would stop and be happy to watch me make the banana bread. But then she would yell at the top of her lungs to be put back down. And then, after about a minute of playing around the yelling would begin again…

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So with her in my left arm I made this pretty much one handed. Thankfully I was at the point of cracking eggs when she was on the mat since I’m not great at doing that 1 handed.

Let’s get back to the banana bread.

It’s perfectly predictable. You know, banana-y and bread-y. It’s just that it has the best texture and flavor.

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I love the chunks of banana that are mixed into the creamy light batter. I often put chopped pecans in but I didn’t this time because I wanted to use the bread later on for french toast and I didn’t want the pecans in that. But I highly encourage you to put pecans in because they add such great flavor and texture.

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Classic Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour, but all-purpose works as well
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 overripe bananas
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped (optional)

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Prepare a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan by lightly greasing the surfaces.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  4. Put 2 bananas and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together for 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream.
  5. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  6. Mix in the dry ingredients until about 50% incorporated.
  7. Add in the 2 remaining bananas and chopped pecans. Mix together until the bananas are broken up but still in large chunks and the dry ingredients are more incorporated.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.
  9. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.
  10. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.

Adapted from Food Network

Thirsty Thursday: German’s Chocolate Cake Milkshake

German's Chocolate Cake Milkshake

Next week we are off to the Florida Keys on our little ‘babymoon’. As well, we will be gone for Price’s birthday. Last year we were in Chicago for his birthday and this year we’ll be bumming it by the pool in the South Florida sun. I think he lucks out for his birthday while I freeze my but off for mine in January.

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German’s Chocolate Cake Matzo Bark

Topping Matzo with chocolate, coconut, and pecans is how you create an easy, quick treat. You will be thinking, “Where has this German’s Chocolate Cake Matzo Bark been all my life?!”

German's Chocolate Cake Matzo Bark

I was so addicted to my Peanut Butter Lover’s Chocolate Matzo Bark that I immediately started to think of new fun toppings that would be utterly fantastic and delicious on Matzo. It hit me instantly… German’s Chocolate Cake Matzo Bark

Of course, I couldn’t make just 1 Matzo bark. I had to make another variety besides the Peanut Butter Lover’s Chocolate Matzo Bark so I raided my pantry for some fun bark toppings. I came across some pecans from a trail mix I was making so then I started to run with the idea of German’s Chocolate Cake by grabbing some coconut. It is one of Price’s favorite cakes so I knew it would be a hit in our house.

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If you love German’s Chocolate Cake then you’ll enjoy this fun bark. It has a lot of sweet crunch to it that it is as tasty as it is loud!

German's Chocolate Cake Matzo Bark

Yield: 12 people

Topping Matzo with chocolate, coconut, and pecans is how you create an easy, quick treat. You will be thinking, "Where has this German's Chocolate Cake Matzo Bark been all my life?!"

Ingredients

  • 4 pieces of Matzo
  • 5 ounces of semi sweet chocolate, melted
  • 2 ounces of pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Instructions

  1. Arrange the matzo on a sheet of tin foil or parchment paper or on a baking sheet.
  2. Evenly coat the matzo bark with half the melted chocolate. Sprinkle the chopped pecans and coconut on the melted chocolate. Gently press them into the chocolate. Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the nuts and coconut.
  3. Chill the matzo until the chocolate has set up. Break into pieces.

Did you make this recipe?

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© iamahoneybee
Category: Dessert

Hummingbird Cupcakes

I previously wrote about Price’s birthday and how great a day it was. Well, the one thing that was missing was a birthday cake. I had originally planned on leaving early that day so I could make the cake before dinner, but that did not work out. Then, I intending to make it after dinner since I’m used to baking pretty late, but we drank quite a bit so that was scraped and we just went down the road for a little piece of cake. No worries, it all worked out but I still owed Pricer a cake. So the birthday cake became a First-Day-Of-Work cupakes. (I realized I left my can pans in CT in August for my dad’s Bday)

Back to Price… I told him to pick out a cake for me to make. So he picked out a few of my cookbooks and went to work. He picked a Hummingbird Cake from The Baking Bible: From the Oven to the Table. We had never heard of this cake before. I wanted to know why it is called a Hummingbird Cake, so I did a little research. My research yielded that the reason behind the name is unknown. It is suggested that is has to do with how sweet the cake is, being that hummingbirds eat nectar. The cake has Southern origins, but word spread about this cake when it was featured in Southern Living in the late 70’s.

The cupcakes were easy to make and produced a great result. The cupcakes were rich a moist- from the oil in the cake. While I like {cup}cakes with butter in them I appreciate baking with oil since I don’t have to wait for the butter to come to room temperature. And without having to cream butter and sugar together I didn’t need to use a mixer for the cake portion. The pineapple also made for a moist cake. However, the banana flavor was much more dominate than the pineapple flavor. I admit that just mashed up bananas and figured ‘close enough’… this just goes to show that measuring is really important! The frosting is a basic cream cheese frosting and it tied the whole thing together.

Hummingbird Cupcakes

makes 24 cupcakes
 
 
Cake
 
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1  teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sunflower oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup pecans, finely chopped, plus extra for decorating
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
3 oz/85 grams canned crushed pineapple (drained weight)
4 tablesppons pineapple juice from can
 
 
Frosting
6 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
4 tablesppons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line 2 12 cup cupcake pans.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda in a large bowl, set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the wet ingredients together. Incorportate the wet ingredients and chopped pecans into the dry ingredients. Mix throughly with a wooden spoon.

Divide the batter into the cupcake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting by combining the soft cream cheese and butter. Add the sifted sugar and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost with the cream cheese frosting. Top all with chopped pecans.