Lifestyle
No Fail Hosting Recipes
Hosting is fun, but sometimes planning what to make for guests can be a bit stressful! NOT TODAY, Y’ALL! The LIY Team has rounded up some of our go-to, no fail hosting recipes that will be sure to keep your guests coming back for seconds [and simple enough that you’ll want to make them a second time!] Let’s see what we can cook up…
p.s. sharing products that make hosting easier here!
Erin’s Hot Cheese Dip
Hot Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 8 oz Sour Cream
- 9 oz can Frito's Bean Dip
- 1/2 packet Taco Seasoning
- 1 tsp Minced Onions
- 1 cup Sharp Shredded Cheese
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Mix all of the ingredients [other than the shredded cheese] together and place into oven safe baking dish.
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Add shredded cheese to the top.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes.
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Serve hot with tortilla chips or Fritos! Enjoy!
Roasted Chicken with Fall Veggies
Roasted Chicken with Fall Veggies
A simple but super yummy recipe for Fall! You can make this in a dutch oven or baking dish!
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 3-4 Gold Potatoes
- 4-5 Carrots
- 3-4 Apples [I used gala]
- 3 lbs Chicken [I love using thighs with skin!]
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
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Chop veggies
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Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper
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Combine in dutch oven or baking dish with chicken
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Bake at 400 for 75-90 minutes [your preference on how well-done you like your chicken and veggies!]
Notes
You can also “eyeball” the amounts of veggies/apples to chicken ratio and adjust to your liking!
Katy’s Granny’s Southern Roast
Arlene’s Southern Roast
There’s nothing like cozying up with roast on a chilly day. It’s simple, but don’t let it fool you – it’s delicious! This recipe is special to me because it’s from my Granny. She passed away in 2013, so using one of her recipes is a way for me to feel connected to her and keep her spirit alive. I hope you love this roast as much as I do! -Katy
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs Chuck Roast
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 1/2 cup Beef Broth [low sodium or regular]
- 2 pkg. Brown Gravy [low sodium or regular]
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt [optional]
- Pepper to taste
- 7-8 Small Yukon Potatoes [cut in half or quarters]
- 5 Large Carrots [cut into 1/2 inch pieces]
Instructions
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Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium to high heat.
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Season the meat with a sprinkle of garlic powder and pepper then sear it in the pan until the outside is brown on both
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Cut the potatoes in half and the carrots into ½ inch pieces and throw both into the crockpot.
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Put your two packages of brown gravy mix into the crockpot.
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Next, add in your water, beef broth, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.
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Stir and cook on high for approximately 4 hours. Then turn on low for another 2 hours or as long as you’d like. Enjoy!
The Best Deviled Eggs
The Best Deviled Eggs
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
- 1 dozen Hard Boiled Eggs
- 3/4 cup Mayo
- 2 tsp Mustard
- 1-2 pinches salt
- 1-2 pinches pepper
- 1-3 pinches paprika
Instructions
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Shell your hardboiled eggs, slice them in halves and plop out the yolk into a bowl. Place the eggs on a serving tray.
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Smash the yolks with a fork in the bowl.
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Add into the bowl, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper and mix.
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Once the yolk mixture is to your liking[you can try it, add more anything you just added to get it to your liking!] Spoon the mixture into empty eggs.
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Sprinkle the filled eggs with paprika & enjoy!
Overnight Stuffed Raspberry French Toast
Overnight Stuffed Raspberry French Toast
For holiday mornings I prefer to have everything made in advance where I can just pop it in the oven to bake! That usually involves some sort of quiche and something sweet, like this stuffed french toast that can be made in advance!
Servings 9
Ingredients
- 1 loaf loaf Challah bread cut into 1 inch pieces
- 6 oz container raspberries
- 8 oz block cream cheese cut into cubes
- 5 eggs
- 1 Cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 Cup sugar
- powdered sugar
Instructions
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Spray a 9"x9" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
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Add half of your challah to bottom of pan and sprinkle with raspberries (keep a few for topping) and cream cheese.
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Top with remaining bread and press down.
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Mix together your eggs, cream, honey, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and pour over the top of your bake until covered.
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Cover with tin foil, pressing down again to smoosh everything together.
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Refrigerate overnight.
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Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
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Preheat your oven to 350 and place covered dish in and bake for 30 minute. Remove tin foil and bake for another 30 minutes until tops turn golden and center is set.
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Remove from oven and let cool slightly and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.
Sausage Hashbrown Casserole
Sausage Hashbrown Casserole
I have been taking this casserole to Christmas brunch with my family for years! Here’s why I love it – it’s a nice way to break up all of the egg casserole dishes, it’s hearty to keep you full, it’s very minimal work in the morning (I mix it up the day before and just bake it in the morning), it’s got red and green peppers making it nice and festive. My husband loves having leftovers of this casserole around because it reheats really well. For the week after Christmas – let’s be real the leftovers only last a couple of days! – he’ll make a scrambled egg, heat some of this up, throw his egg on top and BAM, instant skillet breakfast with minimal work.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sausage (I used one pound spicy and one pound medium)
- 1 Cup sour cream
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can french onion soup
- 1 Cup onion, diced
- 1/2 Cup red pepper, diced
- 1/2 Cup green pepper, diced
- 2 Cups shredded cheese
- 30 oz country style hashbrowns
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Brown the sausage
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In a separate bowl combine all of the other ingredients.
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Add in the sausage.
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Pour into a 9×13 pan.
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Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350.
Erin’s Go-To Slow Cooker Chili
Best Ever Slow Cooker Chili
Servings 12 people
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow or Red Onion, chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
- 2 Jalapeno Peppers, chopped optional
- 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Ground Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 46 oz Tomato Juice
- 28 oz Diced Tomatoes
- 15 oz Tomato Sauce
- 16 oz Kidney Beans, Drained and Rinsed
- 16 oz Pinto Beans, Drained and Rinsed
Instructions
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In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Drain excess grease from skillet, but do not clean.
2. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion, green pepper, garlic, parsley and jalapeño peppers (optional) and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.
3. Add the meat-veggie mixture to the slow cooker along with the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans and pinto beans to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Serve warm with cheese, sour cream, Fritos, green onions, whatever your heart desires!
Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Vegan Breakfast Casserole
The best vegan breakfast dish that can be enjoyed by anyone!
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized russet potatoes
- 1 red pepper
- 1/2 small white onion
- 1 bottle Just Egg
- 1 block silken tofu
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 7 oz vegan bacon
- 1/4 Tbsp red cayenne pepper
- 1/4 Tbsp garlic salt
- 1.4 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Bring a large pot of water to boil.
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Wash, peel, and dice potatoes and place into pot. Let boil until fork soft.
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Mix together silken tofu, non-dairy milk, and Just egg until somewhat smooth. It may have small chunks in it still but that is okay!
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Add spices and nutritional yeast to mixture, then blend and set aside.
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Chop and dice onion, pepper and bacon then saute until soft. Add to wet mixture.
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Drain potatoes and lightly grease a 9×9 pan.
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Place potatoes at the base of the pan in an even single layer.
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Pour mixture over top potatoes evenly.
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Place in oven on top shelf for 1 hour and 25 minutes. [It will bubble for some time, this is normal]
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Take out of the oven when edges are crisp and let cool for 20 minutes.
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Enjoy!
Veggie Dip
The Best Veggie Dip
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Cup Mayo
- 1 Tbsp Dried Minced Onion
- 1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Dried Dill Weed
- 1 Tbsp Dried Farm Dust Seasoning
Instructions
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Mix all of the ingredients together and store in the refrigerator! Serve with vegetables and enjoy!
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breast, skinless
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 Jar Sun Dried Tomatoes, Sliced
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Cartons Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
- 1 Jar Creamy Pesto
- Shredded Gouda
- Croutons
Instructions
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Add sliced sundried tomatoes to the bottom of a slow cooker. Put chicken on top with garlic powder and onion powder on top. Top with chicken broth and cook on low for 6 hours.
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Shred chicken and place into Perfect Pot. Pour any remaining juice and sun dried tomatoes from the slow cooker into the pot.
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Add the roasted rep pepper soup along with the jar of creamy pesto. Bring to a boil and then simmer and stir for 30 minutes until well blended.
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Top with shredded gouda cheese and croutons! Enjoy!
Crockpot Tortellini Soup
Crockpot Tortellini Soup
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 TBSP minced garlic
- 1 TBSP Italian seasoning
- 4 cup chicken broth
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 lb uncooked italian sausage
- 10-14 oz small frozen cheese tortellini
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
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Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat
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Cook the italian sausage and onion in the pan until cooked through.
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Add minced garlic and italian seasoning to pan, and cook an additional one minute.
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Put the sausage mixture into a crockpot, along with the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Stir together.
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Cook the ingredients in the crockpot for 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
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30 minutes before the cooking time is done, add the tortellini, parmesan cheese, fresh spinach and heavy cream.
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Enjoy!
Cowboy Crack Dip
Cowboy Crack
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz. Packages of Cream Cheese
- 2 c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 lb. Spricy Ground Sausage [browned & drained]
- 1 c. Frozen Corn
- 2 cans Rotel
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients into crockpot and cook on low for 1-2 hours.
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Serve with tortillas chips. Enjoy!
Better Than Sex Cake
Better Than Sex Cake
The first time I had this cake [back in high school, which seems like decades ago… oh wait…] I instantly fell in love. It comes together so easily, and truly continues to get better after each day! The longer it sits, the more the caramel and sweetened condensed milk combo soaks in! I’d recommend making it at least the night before, if not even sooner!
Ingredients
- 1 box devil's food cake mix
- 14 oz. [1 can] sweetened condensed milk
- 12 oz. [1 jar] caramel ice cream topping
- 8 oz. Cool Whip
- 1/2 – 1 cup Heath toffee bits
Instructions
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Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.
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Remove the cake from the oven and immediately poke holes all over the top using either the bottom of a thin wooden spoon, a skewer or a fork.
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In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce, then slowly drizzle the mixture all over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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Spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake, top with the Heath toffee bits and refrigerate again for at least 1 hour. Serve cold and refrigerate any leftovers. Enjoy!
Spaghetti Pie
Spaghetti Pie
Ingredients
- 8 oz Spaghetti Noodles
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 14 oz Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Minced Onion
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 3 Green Onions chopped
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package. Drain.
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Meanwhile in a skillet, brown the ground beef, breaking up until no longer pink. Drain.
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In the skillet with ground beef add the tomato sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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In a bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, and minced onion. Stir until well mixed.
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In a greased 9×13 baking dish, layer the spaghetti noodles, cream cheese mixture, meat mixture and top with shredded cheese.
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Bake for 30 minutes.
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Enjoy to your heart [and stomachs] desire!
One Pan Chicken Fried Rice
One Pan Chicken Fried Rice
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast diced into 1/2 pieces
- 3 Tbsp Butter divided
- 2 Eggs whisked
- 1 White Onion diced
- 2 Carrots diced
- 1/2 Cup Frozen Peas
- 3 Cloves Garlic minced
- 4 Cups Short-Grain White Rice cooked and chilled
- 3 Green Onions sliced
- 4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
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Cook rice according to package in your Always Pan and store in the refrigerator until needed.
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Add the sesame oil and vegetable oil to the Always Pan on medium heat. Add in the diced chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
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Add in 1/2 Tbsp of butter to Always Pan and over medium heat until melted. Add in the whisked eggs and cook until scrambled. Set aside once done.
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Add in additional 1 Tbsp of butter to Always Pan and heat until melted. Add in the carrots, peas, onion, garlic, and saute for 5 minutes until the onions and carrots are soft. Season generously with salt and pepper.
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Increase your temperature to high and add in the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter and stir until melted. Add in your cooked white rice, green onions, eggs, chicken, and soy sauce. Stir and saute for 3-5 minutes until well blended. Remove from heat and add additional soy sauce for flavor if needed. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Steph’s Crockpot Lava Brownies
Crockpot Lava Brownies
The deliciousness of Lava Cake, with a peanut butter twist and brownie flavor – all with the convenience of crock pot cooking.
Servings 16
Ingredients
- 2 C Flour
- 1 C Sugar
- 3/4 C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 C Almond Milk Can also use regular milk if desired
- 1/4 C Vegetable or Canola Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 1/3 C Powdered Sugar
- 1 C Peanut Butter
- 3 C Boiling Water
Instructions
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Spray the inside of your crockpot to prevent sticking.
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In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder.
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Add milk, oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Mixture will be very thick. Spread into crockpot.
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Add boiling water to a bowl. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Add powdered sugar. Pour on top of brownie mixture in crockpot.
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Cook on low for 3 hours.
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Optional: Serve with ice cream or fruit and whipped cream.
Devon’s Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins
The perfect fall snack!
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup cassava flour
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground pumpkin spice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease with nonstick spray. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Whisk to combine and set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold to combine. The batter will be thick.
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Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
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Bake regular muffins for 22-24 minutes, mini muffins for 19 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan. Serve.
