Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

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Now is not the time to be thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. ย Ignore the plastic Christmas trees at Costco… we still have time. ย We have months. ย The year is not over yet. ย We can totally take it easy.

I don’t like New Year’s Resolutions. ย They’re totally unrealistic, right? ย I feel like my best intentions of dieting, cleaning, saving money, and being a better human in the world are all flushed down the toilet when I cut people off in traffic while eating doughnuts and throwing money out the window on January 2nd. ย (Was that a run-on sentence?) ((Don’t answer that.))

Ok. ย So I don’t throw money out the window. ย Come on…

Let me get to the point.

I like to make mini resolutions. ย I make a little resolution, in my crazybrain, each season. ย Here we are in Autumn… and it’s time to rearrange my goals. ย I totally nailed my summer goals of wearing bikini tops as bras and keeping my nails done-did. ย Now it’s time to rearrange.

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This Autumn is all about loving hard, giving quality time to others, not texting at dinner, and wearing these friendship bracelets until they fall off my wrist. ย I keep it simple. ย It’s usually the simple intentions that influence the larger movements in my life. ย Trust. ย I’m not completely superficial.

Do you have some goals you’re going to make this Autumn? ย Do they have anything to do with living right and making this awesome, yeasty coffee cake!? ย Say yes! ย Live right!

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As with most good things, this coffee cake starts with a yeasted dough base.

The dough is full of eggs and butter, which make if really easy to work with and knead. ย It reminds me of a cake/bread hybrid.

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Oh… did I mention that we’re making not one, but TWO coffee cakes!? ย True. ย It’s we’re going to take the time to work with yeast, let’s just make two cakes and freeze one! ย Good thinking.

apple cinnamon coffee cake

Does this look like the makings of a cinnamon roll with apples? ย You’re not far off! ย This coffee cake is like a series of cinnamon rolls that are connected.

apple cinnamon coffee cake

Cinnamon apples and streusel fill this cake.

Apple pie meets coffee cake meets cinnamon roll.

Yea. ย I love you.

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Rolled up like a cinnamon roll. ย Snipped into connected pieces. ย Shaped like a crooked horseshoe.

Juicy and a little messy. ย Whatevs.

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Even if just a little messy, this cake bakes up like a dream come true.

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This spiced, sweet, breakfast cake is a soft and tender play on traditional coffee cake. ย It’s a bit more time consuming, but it’s pretty simple to roll up two cake rolls, place one on a parchment lined baking sheet to bake, and place the other in the freezer for a breakfast emergency.

This cake screams Autumn comfort. ย Screams it! ย Happy screams. ย From the rooftop!

Oh!

Other yeasty items I want you to be obsessed with:

Lemon Raspberry Breakfast Rolls

Cinnamon-Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Strawberry Balsamic Flatbread

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

makes two loaves

Print this Recipe!

For the Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoon (1 package) active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water, about 105 to 155 degrees F.

big pinch of sugar

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup warm whole milk, 105 to 115 degrees F.

For the Filling:

3 large apples, peeled and cut into small cubes (I used Fuji apples)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

For the Streusel:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

pinch of cardamom

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg and sugar for brushing and topping the dough before baking

To Make the Dough: ย In a small bowl, mix together yeast, warm water and pinch of sugar. ย Stir together until yeast is dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes. ย Yeast will foam up. ย That’s how you know it’s alive!

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, butter, cardamom, and salt. ย Blend on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and add eggs and 1 cup of flour. ย Blend on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated and creamy, about 1 minute. ย Stop the mixer and add 2 cups more cups of flour, foamy yeast mixture, and warm milk. ย Blend in medium speed until the flour disappears. ย Mixture will be very wet.

Add 1 1/2 to 2 more cups of flour. ย Blend until the flour is almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. ย Knead for 5 to 8 minutes by hand. ย Dough will be glossy and just slightly sticky. ย Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rest in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the apple filling and the streusel.

To make the Apple Filling, toss together diced apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, nutmeg and salt. ย Leave at room temperature and set aside until ready to use.

To make the Streusel Filling:

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cardamom. ย Add butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture. ย Break up the butter into the mixture, until thoroughly incorporated and crumbly. ย Set aside.

Continue on with the Dough:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a lightly floured work surface. ย  Use a large knife or a bench knife to divide the dough in two. ย Roll each dough piece into about a 10×14-inch rectangle. ย Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. ย Add half of the apple mixture over the apples. ย Add a bit of the apple juices too. ย That’s fine.

Starting from the longest side, begin to roll the dough. ย This isn’t like a cinnamon roll, you don’t have to roll it into a super tight swirl. ย Fold in about 1 1/2 to 1-inch folds. ย Keep the seam on the bottom.

Repeat the same steps for the second piece of dough.

Carefully lift roll onto the prepared baking sheet. **Now is a great time to freeze or refrigerate the coffee cake ย dough for later baking.** ย Take a pair of clean scissors and slice into the dough leaving about 3/4-inch of dough still attached. ย Slice at 1-inch intervals. ย Carefully begin to curve the sliced dough into a semi-circle/horseshoe shape. ย If some of the apple juices escape, that’s ok ย  ย Cover with a towel and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle with raw or granulated sugar. ย Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. ย Best served warm with hot coffee. ย Coffee cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days… or 3 hours.

** ย If you decide to freeze the dough, place it in the fridge to thaw the evening before you’d like to bake it. ย Once it’s thawed, slice it according to the above directions. ย Allow to come to room temperature, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes beyond that. ย Wash with egg and sugar, then bake.

** ย If you decide to refrigerate the dough, simple take it out of the fridge, slice according to the above directions. ย Let come to room temperature, then allow to rise for 30 minutes beyond that. ย Brush with egg and sugar, then bake.

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I Made This

Questions

189 Responses

  1. i really was hoping to make this, but when i tried to “proof” my yeast before to see if it worked, i found out it was expired. do you think it would work somehow without the yeast? or is there a good substitute for yeast??

  2. This was one of the most awesome things I have ever made ! You are crazy talented Joy ( and hilarious too)! Keep the magic coming!

  3. A question about freezing the option.
    How do I wrap the second cake properly so it doesnt get freezer burn? Especially if it is on a baking sheet, which Im not even sure if that will fit in my freezer. Suggestions? I dont want the hard work to go to waste!

    1. great question! i placed my prepared bread (on the baking sheet) in the freezer uncovered for about 4 hours… until frozen solid. Take it out of the freezer, remove the bread from the pan and wrap it several times in plastic wrap. Then place it back in the freezer until you’re ready to defrost and bake it!

  4. Hi Joy!!! I just finished baking this yummy treat. I didn’t bother to freeze one of the rolls because I know my family and extended family will polish this off. It is sooooo good. The perfect vehicle for a cup of tea. Thank you so much for sharing such fantastic recipes.

  5. I made this cake and it’s really delicious, but my dough was really wet and it was difficult to make a roll. Luckily, after baking it looked very nice.

  6. Ahora mismo estoy haciendo la receta, tiene una pinta estupenda y el olor de la canela es maravilloso, Espero que me salga parecido al tuyo ya te contarรฉ. Maravilloso blog, te seguirรฉ ya que tengo que hacer mas recetas tuyas me gustan todas…
    Muchos besos

  7. I just made this today. Not only does it smell awesome, it’s also going to be the BEST EVER house warming present to friends this evening!

    (It also makes ENORMOUS cakes! I totally didn’t realise.. I’m thinking I should keep one at home, and take just one with me!)

    Thanks Joy for yet another excellent homey, comforting and insanely scrumptious recipe!

    :D

    You’re the best. <3

  8. I’m in the process of making this & just wanted to point out a typo. At least I think it is – you say:
    “1/4 cup warm water, about 105 to 155 degrees F” – but I think you mean 105 to 115 degrees F (since the yeast container says 100-110 degrees on it).
    Of course this is my first yeasted recipe – so maybe the yeast can “activate” in temps that high – just wanted to ask in case it was a typo. My dough is currently rising & I’m super excited – I’m taking it to a brunch at my friend’s house.

  9. Hey Joy! I made this cake yesterday. It’s still laying on the counter, to be taken to an autumn picnic. But the way it looks, I have no doubt it’s going to be totally delicious!
    I got home yesterday late and tired, thinking: “Buuuuf, I still have to bake something!”. But by the time I put my hands in the dough, start preparing the filling and the crumble with all the spices… I was soooo happy and relaxed! And the smell of the house right after opening the oven door, it was like being in an autumn heaven :)
    Thanks for sharing the recipe and having this great blog.
    Have a good weekend!!!

  10. I’m thinking of making this with a regular old pie crust dough instead of a yeast dough. I think it’ll work? If you see this and have a comment, I’ll enjoy reading what you think. Otherwise, it’ll be a yummy thing that looks awful if it does not work! :-) Thanks, as always, for your reality and deliciousness!

  11. Hi Joy, thanks for the great recipes. Do you
    think I can make this without the stand mixer/paddle attachment? I just have plain old beaters. Will that work or no?

  12. This was super yummy! My husband is doing overnights, and I couldn’t sleep last night. So I made this around 3am and put it in the fridge until we were ready for breakfast later in the day. I waited until I was going to bake it to snip the cuts around it, but I still lost a lot of juices. So instead of using an egg wash on top, I just used the stuff that came out and basted it over the top. It was really very good and made the house smell delicious all day too :) Love your recipes and pics! Can’t wait to have some more of this tomorrow :D

  13. This looks amazing! I do have to admit that the recipe looks a tad bit intimidating but it looks so tasty I may have to try tackling it soon!

  14. could the dough be mixed by hand? looks delicious, but alas, i have no paddle attachment to my non-existant stand mixer…

    1. You should be fine…I mixed most of the flour with a hand mixer (although I could tell I was over-working it a bit) and added the last cup or so by hand with a wooden spoon…after a little kneading, the dough was very smooth. If you don’t have a hand mixer, I would just mix it all with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and hand knead it to bring it all together.

    2. I just made this last night and mixed it all by hand. I don’t even have a hand mixer right now, let alone a stand mixer and it came out awesome! Your hands will get a little messy and doughy, but it will still come out just fine :)

  15. I just pulled them out of the oven and they look and smell amazing. I made them for a PTO meeting tomorrow. I’ll have to taste test before sending it off. ; )

  16. Hello Joy!
    I tried this recipe this weekend and it is very yummy. I left 1/4 of the loaf at the end free of apples on one of the loaves to see how the bread baked up alone. Let me tell you DELICIOUS! A little Jam and a cup of tea… what a lovely breakfast.

  17. Had to make this over the weekend. ABSOLUTELY FANTABULOUS! Our new favorite coffeecake, hands down. Your instructions were PERFECT. Thank you SO much for sharing your talents of cooking/blogging/photography. Can’t wait to test more of your recipes as it’s proven you have great taste! :-)

  18. Yesterday during a break from a rough day at work, I read this recipe. Realizing I had exactly three apples on my counter sealed the deal. Therapy included kneading dough and chopping apples. I brought one of the cakes/bread to work to make sure that today is better. Thanks for the laugh when I read the blog, the stress relief as I made the recipe happen, the kudos from my happier coworkers and the serect weapon that now resides in my freezer!

  19. I had some cortland apples lying around that were less than ripe and this recipe was the perfect solution. I just made these (cooling as we speak) and turned them into cinnamon rolls which I frosted with a glaze made with pumpkin butter…they look and smell amazing! thank you so much for the recipe — I froze a pan of the rolls for a couple weeks down the road when my sister visits. Now if I can only wait for them to cool…

  20. i’ve been coming to your website for a few months now but this is the first thing i’ve ever made from your website and i must say… THANK YOU! i now have something to bring to thanksgiving with my boyfriends family that will woo his mother:D i have many cookbooks but i’m never more tempted to get in the kitchen like i am when i come to your website! thanks Joy! :)

  21. I made this last night, and it rocked my socks off! The dough is so easy, I made it without a stand mixer. I doubled the apple mix, YUM. I was so excited to get it into the oven that I forgot the egg-wash and granulated sugar. IT doesn’t look as pretty as yours, but it still delicious!

    Thanks for another great recipe Joy!

  22. This recipe was a bit different than any yeasted coffee cakes I’ve seen so I had to try it and I am happy I did – it is phenomenal. You mentioned the dough was a bit sticky and while kneading I worried that it would be too sticky however it rolled perfectly without the apples shifting within the roll or falling all over the counter – you know what you’re doing Joy.

  23. Joy! I totally make mini-resolutions throughout the year! At first, people thought I was a little crazy for doing it, but now everyone’s catching on. Good luck!

  24. Baby asleep in bed; husband working late shift; Tv on; feet on sofa; eating this with a cup of tea – and enough left for late supper when the worker comes home… Yum! Thanks for a fabulous recipe (& one in the freezer too!)

  25. Gee! I can have a few bites and I have my complete dose of coffee and pie! Love this recipe! Thanks for posting…
    My little resolution stems a great deal from your blog…perhaps I need to stop making huge life-altering resolutions and start with the little ones…sunscreen every morning…not to be tempted on 70% off sales (on things I don’t really need)…
    Thanks again!

  26. Joy, you’re sooo right.. The little changes we make in our lives influence the big ones. You know, let’s say I choose to only go on facebook twice a day. I can only imagine how much more I’d get accomplished…..and how much more time I’d have in the kitchen!!! haha! This coffee cake looks mighty fine, though. It’s just in time as I was pondering what to do with a surplus of apples today!

  27. I love your blog!!!!

    This coffee cake looks so good! Do you know if it would be possible to make this with gluten free flour instead of regular all purpose wheat flour? And if so, what do you recommend?

    Thanks :)

  28. Love this! It looks delicious and has a great presentation! Wish I had a bite. I’m so glad to find your blog and am adding this to my must try list!

  29. How much did the 3 apples weigh? I have a ton of apples, but of varying sizes, and I find 1 person’s large is another person’s medium. Can you provide weights of dry ingredients as well as volumes?
    Can’t wait to make this this weekend!
    Thanks!

  30. Did you have any trouble getting this to rise in the time you have listed? I have been dangerously obsessed with cinnamon rolls and yeast dough lately, Ive tested 7 batches in 2 weeks. I did a fabulous one from cooking light last week but had a few flops with another one from Epicurios that had more eggs and milk in it. It took more than 12 hours to rise both times, I threw it out because I was afraid of the egg content of it. This one looks AMAZING, will have to try it this weekend, just wanted to know if it had ever given you a long rise time. Thanks!

    1. wow!! a 12 hour rise? no… i didn’t have any trouble with this rise. i let my dough rest in my unheated oven. it’s just slightly warm and helps dough rise in about 1 1/2 hours.

  31. Oh that looks so delicious!

    My goal for fall is to enjoy my days and not stress out despite being overwhelmed by grad school and missing my boyfriend. Scraping out time to try a recipe from this blog sounds like a great step toward that goal.

  32. This reminds me of a pastry my grandma makes sometimes, the literal translation would be ‘Danish Pastry Combs’ and they’re made from Danish Pastry and shaped just like a coffee cake though in the size of hair combs (the name kind of gives it away…). It’s a real treat!

    Just might have to try and make them some time soon, if I get around to it I’ll send you a copy of the recipe!

    Love your blog! Best wishes from Sweden

  33. I never make New Year’s Resolutions. Too stressful. And it feels too forced.

    I love the idea of little seasonal goals instead of yearly resolutions.

    Also, i think I need some coffee cake in my life ASAP

  34. That cake looks immense! I just love cakes like that.

    I terms of new years resolution, last year was to start a food blog, which was probably the only ny resolution I have ever carried out. This year it might be to work on my procrastination. :)

  35. Sigh, I have to make this. It really is a perfect fall recipe. To heck with fitting in my skinny jeans anymore, they are over-rated anyways.

  36. I recently read this anecdotal story that sounds something like what you’re talking about – it’s about the power of baby steps vs making overambitious huge changes like dieting, spending less money, and generally making the world a better place. This lady wanted to exercise so badly that she bought a treadmill for her house, but it sat unused for weeks. So she decided to try the baby steps approach. First she just stood on it while reading the paper and drinking coffee… then she would just stretch on it… then she would walk for a minute… and a few weeks later, she was running a mile a day, whereas before taking the baby steps approach all she could bring herself to do was stare at it guiltily. I thought that was a super effective story, even if it is a little cheesy!

  37. OMG, this looks AMAZING!

    So, um, can I just use Trader Joe’s pizza dough instead of making the dough from scratch? I’m just SO not a fan of making yeast dough from scratch… I know probably no one is really a fan of that, but seriously, I have 3 little boys, I REALLY don’t have time to make from scratch… help a girl out! :)

  38. I wish I hadn`t already used my apples from this harvest. I made an Emeril recipe for an apple coffee cake that had a struesal topping and a brown sugar glaze (it was ridiculous!)

    My favourite autumny apple thing I made were my own creation (although not quite just my own after some post baking googling) apple, onion and cheese tarts. A savoury treat when you have so many apples you can no longer look at butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

    I am bookmarking this for next years harvest.

  39. Mmm this looks like autumn in a pastry. It looks fabulous. I’ve never really understood the rules of freezeing yeast dough and whatnot, maybe I should look that up if I plan to bake this (which is a serious consideration, as is the cinnamon pull-a-part bread-now that I want like no other).

  40. i don’t make goals in general, but i told my husband that if i don’t get a pilot this year we’re going to disneyworld. that way he will be putting all his intentions into hoping he doesn’t have to go to orlando, and if i don’t book a show, i have mickey to look forward to.

  41. The half bushel of apples on my kitchen counter from apple picking this weekend means that, yes, this is fall and moreover, this is destiny. My autumn goal is to be a little healthier (eating habit-wise, not diet-wise)… after I’m done shoving my face with apple cake, that is.

  42. I love your bracelets!

    Would leaving out the apples affect anything else in the recipe? I’m weird and don’t like fruit in my pastries. :)

  43. these look awesome!! what a great way to start the morning (or end the day…)
    how can i get on a list for your book when it comes out…please….pretty please…

  44. i love apples and cinnamon! totally screams brown, red-earthy fall. so excited to make this! hopefully my roommates don’t mind me eating most of it! ;)

  45. This is GORGEOUS. Oh my goodness. And I love your little resolutions, I work that way too. I like to sort of “check in” with myself and make them every few months.

  46. Hi Joy, I wanted to let you know that this looks delicious as always.

    Also, there’s something I always go look at when I’m on your blog:

    The soup. Maybe because I have a thing for soup. Because I’m a college student at Syracuse University, where there’s snow, and cold, and intense majors like Architecture. And sometimes you just need to slow down and have soup. Being a college student who lives in a dorm…soup is not a luxury you can have everyday. Most of the time, the soup served is pretty awful. & Most of the time, I sit around and stare at the soups on your blog, wishing I had some. But now I have a nice warm bowl of soup in front of me, reading this post – I thought to myself “I have to go look at the soups now, to brag that I finally, finally have some.” Ha! :)

  47. I’m reading this book called The Way of the Happy Woman by Sara Avant, and each season she has you focus on a certain thing and autumn is about letting go and just holding on to the things that matter to most. And she says it’s totally ok to take naps during cold autumn days, I like this chick;)

  48. This looks so yummy that I’m going to make it and bring it for dessert to a dinner party on Saturday night with vanilla ice cream!

  49. I can already smell the cake, so precious…. Besides I like nice and small practical resolutions, something one can actually manage, big things sound so good but somehow I never make it. My resolution is to improve my cake decorations skills, it should be easy because I am a total nil, so it is bound to get better!

  50. my autumn goals are writing letters of appreciation, making my first pie (without a food processor…) and always saying yes to coffee cake :)

  51. This coffee cake looks great. So much so, that it made my mouth water when I saw the picture. I will have to give the recipe a try soon. Thanks for showing us.

  52. I will answer that! From an almost-graduated English major, I can guarantee that your sentence was not a run-on. :) Love!

  53. Wow, you are the. best. baker. ever.!! I will make this and be a good friend and send the other to someone I love or maybe a boy..Either way this is fantastic! Total foodbuzz worthy so everyone can bake this bliss!

  54. There’s something special about eating apples in the Fall. I think they just taste so much better this time of year, too.
    I love that you made it into a ring! When I saw the title I thought it was going to be a standard loaf, and I was craving it then. But now,…I REALLY want it!

  55. So excited to make this for my family this fall!! I love your blog….it’s my own little treat every morning with my coffee. Totally makes me smile every day!

  56. Yum, cinnamon-y goodness mixed with apples? You really can never go wrong.
    I had a beyond genius idea! You should defs send me your frozen coffee cake! I’ll take care of it PROMISE.

    Sidenote: I love your photography- so colourful and playful.

  57. Yowza! THIS coffee cake is on my list of Autumn goals. Also, keeping my newly planted fall garden alive…which involves keeping a certain dog away from it…

  58. This is weird, you totally read my mind. A couple of days ago I thought about making cinnamon rolls with small chunks of apple in the filling, basically apple pie cinnamon rolls. I never got around to it, but after seeing this recipe, I think I’m going to take it as a sign that Very Bad Things will happen to me if I don’t make those rolls ASAP. Thank you!

  59. Oh it looks soooo good. And I love your photography, as always. So clear, crisp, and beautifully styled food. And you make the cutest boxes and layouts with your pictures. Either Photoshop or Picnik I am guessing. That type of stuff takes forever in Lightroom but I digress.

    Amazing recipe!

    And friendship bracelets…oh, memories of junior high flashing back now :)

  60. Joy – this looks amazing! I’m dying to try it with a cream cheese filling and maybe some sliced strawberries. But first… I need to make it just like this because who can resist the lovechild of the apple pie – coffee cake – cinnamon roll triangle? Thanks for sharing!!

  61. I totally support and agree with quarterly goals instead of ones for the entire year. They’re MUCH easier to hold yourself accountable… and they give you a chance to come up with different things to challenge yourself throughout the year. So good job! :)

    And my goodness. This apple coffee cake/pie/deliciousness looks too good to be true and like something that we NEED to make around these parts one weekend just because it’s fall. Thanks for sharing!

  62. I think autumn is the perfect time for setting new goals – I always think of it as the start of a new school year (even if my school days are depressingly far away).

    This cake looks delicious, it’s definitely one of my autumn goals to make it!

  63. This looks absolutely delicious and is exactly what I’ve been craving. Apples are my favorite, and I’ve been getting so tired of pumpkin things EVERYWHERE. We just moved to another country, but as soon as I get my kitchen goods back, this will be the first thing I make. Can’t wait! Thanks for sharing :)

  64. Ooh. Yummers. That recipe might have to happen in my weekend. Love your mini-resolutions idea. Much more manageable, I think. I’ve recently remembered my resolutions (after about 8 months of forgetting I made any) and I’m giving them a good shot over the next two months. Better late than never!

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