Just J.Faye

Hiking & Other Adventures

Sea Salt Brownies

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I am excited about these sea salt brownies for many, many reasons.

sea salt brownies

First of all, these are brownies. I realize there is no need for reasons beyond that, but I have some extra to share.

Another reason is the sea salt. Sea salt and chocolate just belong together.

Then there is the fact that I basically haven’t baked in months, which is basically forever ago and far too long to go without baking. It felt so great to stir up this chocolatey batter.

Also, this is the inaugural recipe of the JK Hotel and the first thing I’ve baked in the Denver altitude! (side note: JK Hotel = Jenna/Katie residence = come visit!)

Aannnndddd I successfully baked these with my broken right wrist.

So yeah, exciting brownies! Eeeee alsdj aslj gaio qklgboan!!

sea salt brownies

The base of these sea salt brownies is the same as the one in these bacon nut bourbon brownies. Minus the bacon, nuts, and bourbon, but with sea salt and some dark chocolate chunks sprinkled on top.

There are a few different chocolates going on here: bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate chunks. All of these combine with some butter, flour, sugar, and eggs to make incredible brownies that are chocolatey and fudgey with that perfect hint of salt.

Just ridiculously amazing.

sea salt brownies

I hope you are as excited about these sea salt brownies as I am!

Sea Salt Brownies
 
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Chocolatey, fudgey, gooey brownies with sea salt for extra deliciousness!
Serves: 9 large brownies
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon course sea salt, plus extra for topping
  • 3 ounces high quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used a Lindt dark chocolate bar with a touch of sea salt)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Take two pieces of parchment paper and place them perpendicularly in an 8x8” baking pan. Leave some overhang so that the brownies can easily be lifted out of the pan. Grease with butter or oil.
  2. Melt the butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler (a saucepan over a larger saucepan of boiling water) or in the microwave (heat for 30 seconds then stir, continuing this pattern until everything is melted).
  3. Stir in the cocoa powder.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. The sugar should be completely dissolved.
  5. Whisk in the chocolate mixture.
  6. Stir in the flour and sea salt.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with the chopped dark chocolate and more sea salt.
  8. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake! Brownies can be slightly underdone and gooey.

sea salt brownies

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Bacon Nut Bourbon Brownies

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After a few weeks of posting recipes for healthier treats (like almond butter trail mix cookies, triple berry almond oat bars, and coconut cashew butter) I decided to go the opposite direction.

I made brownies.

And I put bacon in them. And then I added a lot of nuts and a little bit of bourbon.

I’m not upset with the situation. These bacon nut bourbon brownies are totally worth it.

bacon nut bourbon brownies

The base of the brownie itself is amazing. They bake up nice and thick with just the right texture ranging somewhere between gooey and cakey. With three types of chocolate – bittersweet, unsweetened, and cocoa powder – they aren’t too chocolatey or too tooth-achingly sweet. They are juuuuuust right. Plus, these have that little crust on top that is just perfect. This will be my new go-to brownie base going forward.

bacon nut bourbon brownies

Then there are the nuts. Nuts always belong in brownies, so I feel like I don’t need to explain this further.

But the bourbon and bacon? That one I’ll explain.

Explanation: bourbon and bacon belong in everything.

I kid.

(But really I’m not kidding)

bacon nut bourbon brownies

To be honest, I added the bacon because I had a half-full (optimist!) package of bacon in my fridge leftover from another recipe. I didn’t know what to use it for, because I already had my lunches and dinners planned for the rest of the week. I needed to use it for something and I happened to be making brownies to bring to dinner at a friend’s house, so I just decided to throw bacon into the batter.

And since I was already trashing these brownies up by adding bacon, I figured what the heck, might as well add bourbon.

Does that make sense?

bacon nut bourbon brownies

I’ll tell you this: no one complained about it. I don’t think you would either.

bacon nut bourbon brownies

And remember when I put bacon in scotcheroos? Yeah, those were good too.

Bacon Nut Bourbon Brownies
 
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These brownies are a little bit gooey, but a little bit cakey. They are a little bit sweet, but a little bit salty. They have bourbon, bacon, and lots of nuts. What's not to love?!
Serves: 9 brownies
Ingredients
  • 6-8 slices bacon
  • ½ cup butter
  • 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 2 oz unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons bourbon
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon course sea salt, plus extra for topping
  • ¾ cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, peanuts, and pecans)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Take two pieces of parchment paper and place them perpendicularly in an 8x8” baking pan. Leave some overhang so that the brownies can easily be lifted out of the pan. Grease with butter or oil.
  2. Fry the bacon in a pan until crisp, a few minutes on each side. Chop into small pieces then set aside to cool.
  3. Melt the butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler (a saucepan over a larger saucepan of boiling water) or in the microwave.
  4. Stir in the cocoa powder.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and bourbon until thoroughly combined. The sugar should be completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.
  6. Whisk in the chocolate mixture.
  7. Stir in the flour and sea salt.
  8. Fold in ¾ of the bacon and chopped nuts.
  9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with remaining bacon, nuts, and a little bit of sea salt.
  10. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake! Brownies can be slightly underdone and gooey.
  11. Let them cool completely before removing from the pan. Cut into 9 large (or 16 small) brownies. Enjoy!

Now I’m off to go do my last long run before Grandma’s Marathon, which is next Saturday! *insert panic attack * But afterwards I’m headed to go explore Stillwater with some friends. I’ll post Instagrams and take notes and tell you about it later. Enjoy your Saturday! I hope you go for a nice, long walk (or run) and then eat some brownies.

bacon nut bourbon brownies

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Almond Butter Trail Mix Cookies

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Almond butter and trail mix got married. Then they had two dozen children. These are their children:

almond butter trail mix cookies

Almond butter trail mix cookies.

Aren’t they beautiful?

All they had to was combine with an egg and some brown sugar. Then BAM! these cookies were born.

And then this blog post got a little awkward so I’m ditching this analogy right… meow.

almond butter trail mix cookies

So these cookies! They are so easy to make. I made them the hard way and they were still easy.

The “hard” way = make your own almond butter and mix your own trail mix.

The “easy” way = buy almond butter and trail mix at the store.

No matter which path you tread you’ll end up with delicious cookies and that’s the most important part. Gotta love that salty-sweet combo.

almond butter trail mix cookies

And you know what? As far as cookies go, these aren’t so bad for you. They are primarily made up of healthy, whole ingredients (nuts, seeds, egg), but we throw in some brown sugar to make them a little more of an indulgence.

Live a little.

They are naturally gluten-free, so if your body hates gluten it will love these!

almond butter trail mix cookies

These almond butter trail mix cookies would be great companions for when you go camping. They seem like very outdoorsy-type cookies to me. Maybe because they have the word “trail” in them? IDK.

I did bring them along to a picnic and they were good. I ate them inside and they were still good. I recommend trying both out!

 

almond butter trail mix cookies

Almond Butter Trail Mix Cookies
 
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These almond butter trail mix cookies are basically just almond butter and trail mix with a few other ingredients. They are super simple to make! You can make your own almond butter and trail mix or buy your favorite at the store.
Serves: 2 dozen
Ingredients
  • 2 cups almonds
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup raisins
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup salted sunflower seeds
  • ⅓ cup roasted, salted peanuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Toast almonds in the oven for 7-10 minutes (oven doesn’t have to be fully pre-heated at this point) until toasted and fragrant. Let cool for a few minutes.
  3. Place almonds in a food process and process for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth almond butter. You may have to stop it every so often to scrap down the sides. Once almonds have reached the desired consistency transfer to a bowl. Make sure this is about to room temperature before mixing with the other ingredients. It will make the dough easier to handle.
  4. Add the egg, brown sugar, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Stir until completely combined.
  5. Stir in the raisins, dark chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.
  6. Roll dough into balls.
  7. Optional step: refrigerate dough for 10-15 minutes before baking. This will result in denser cookies. If you don’t refrigerate they will spread a bit and will be thinner and crispier. They will be delicious either way!
  8. and place on the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
You can use store bought almond butter rather than making your own. Use 1 cup.
You can replace the raisins, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, and peanuts with 1⅓ cups of your favorite trail mix.

almond butter trail mix cookies

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Chocolate Chip Raspberry Banana Bread

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Do you ever go to the grocery store and “accidentally” buy too many bananas so that you can either store the extra in the freezer or wait for them to over-ripen on your counter so that you can make banana bread?

No? Yes! No? Just me?

Well. I advise you to try it out. I also advise you to add dark chocolate chips and fresh raspberries to your grocery list, because this raspberry chocolate chip banana bread is so, so good and you’re going to want to make it.

raspberry chocolate chip banana bread

So let’s do it!

First, we’ll gather the ingredients. The stars here are the bananas, raspberries, and dark chocolate chips. Obviously. But we’ll need some other things too – flour, baking soda, brown sugar, milk, and an egg. Also, we’re going to use Greek yogurt instead of butter. Not because we don’t love butter, but just because.

raspberry chocolate chip banana bread

Next, mash up those beautiful, brown bananas. Mash them really, really good. We basically want them to be like liquid. Then stir in the brown sugar, egg, Greek yogurt, and milk until everything is super combined. Throw in the flour and baking soda and give the mixture a couple of stirs. Lumps and pockets of flour are a-ok. I realize that this will be hard for you perfectionists out there, but you can do it. Leave some imperfections. Fold in the chocolate chips and raspberries, being careful not to over stir. Finally, pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and place it in the oven.

raspberry chocolate chip banana bread

In 50 minutes your kitchen will smell far too delicious and you’ll have an exquisite loaf of bread on your counter. This is happiness.

raspberry chocolate chip banana bread

So much happiness that I had to give most of this loaf away. Which was really hard to do. Probably the hardest thing I had to do all week. Except for that 17 mile run yesterday. #strugglefest.

So yeah. What I’m trying to say is this stuff is really good. Basic banana bread and chocolate cacao nib banana bread are good too, but this chocolate chip raspberry banana bread is like really good.

Soooo… uh… make it. And eat it. And drink some coffee. And have a FANTASTIC Memorial Day weekend!!

raspberry chocolate chip banana bread

Chocolate Chip Raspberry Banana Bread
 
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This Chocolate Chip Raspberry Banana Bread is a snazzy version of regular banana bread. It's simple, a little bit healthy, and so, so very delicious with bursts of chocolate and raspberries.
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups + 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 medium very ripe bananas
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk (any sort of milk will work: cow, almond, coconut, soy, etc)
  • 1 pint raspberries
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
  2. In a small bowl combine the flour (just 1 ½ cups) and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. In another small bowl toss the raspberries with the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl mash the bananas until they are very, very mashed.
  5. Whisk in the brown sugar, Greek yogurt, egg, and milk until they are thoroughly combined.
  6. Stir in the flour. Lumps are ok.
  7. Fold in the raspberries and chocolate chips, saving some to sprinkle on top.
  8. Pour batter into the loaf pan and top with the remaining raspberries and chocolate chips.
  9. Baked for 50-55 minutes.

 

raspberry chocolate chip banana bread

PS- what are you doing for Memorial Day? I am headed up north to the cabin to hang out with my family for the weekend! So excited.

raspberry chocolate chip banana bread

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Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

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These cherry walnut butterscotch blondies were born from an “I want to bake right now” mood.

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

On Tuesday night during my run I decided that I was going to go home and bake afterwards. Throughout my last few miles I was mentally going through my pantry, trying to figure out what I could make that would be simple, quick, and delicious.

Blondies, of course! That would be perfect.

Blondies are so easy to throw together. As long as you have butter, flour, sugar, and an egg you’re all set! And who is not consistently stocked up with these things?!

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

One of the fun things about blondies is that you can add whatever mix-ins you have in your pantry. Luckily I had just stocked up on various nuts and dried fruits and knew I had some sort of chip (dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, or butterscotch) stored in my freezer.

After getting home and physically looking at my pantry I decided that cherry walnut butterscotch blondies were the way to go.

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

But, PROBLEM. I was out of vanilla extract. How in the heck does that even happen?! Butter, sugar, flour, eggs, I had, but no vanilla. Gahhh. Oh well, I was too excited about the idea of these to give up, so I just nixed the vanilla.

And you know what? They still turned out amazing. The sweetness of the butterscotch and cherries made the vanilla unnecessary. Thank goodness.

(Note to self: add vanilla extract to my grocery shopping list. Flour too, just in case.)

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

An awesome thing about baking blondies is that you don’t need a mixer. You can make them with a medium saucepan, a large spoon, and some measuring equipment. Cleanup is also super quick, which is always a bonus.

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

These cherry walnut butterscotch blondies are perfect for those “I need to bake right now” moments (or even for planned baking events). They are gooey, full of texture, quick, easy, and so delicious!

Know who would really love and appreciate them? Your mom.

I mean that seriously, it wasn’t one of those “your mom” jokes.

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies
 
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Blondies are always quick, simple, and delicious. Add in some toasted walnuts, tart dried cherries, and butterscotch chips to make them extra tasty!
Serves: 16 bars
Ingredients
  • 1 cup walnuts, halved or coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup butterscotch chips, divided
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup dried tart cherries
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Take two pieces of parchment paper and place them perpendicularly in an 8x8” baking pan. Leave some overhang so that the blondies can easily be lifted out of the pan. Grease with butter or oil spray.
  2. Spread the walnuts on a baking pan and toast in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure they don’t burn. Once toasted, set aside.
  3. Melt the butter and ¼ cup butterscotch chips in a medium saucepan.
  4. Mix in the brown sugar until smooth, then beat in the egg.
  5. Stir in the flour until just combined.
  6. Fold in the walnuts, cherries, and remaining butterscotch chips (feel free to save a little of each to sprinkle on the top).
  7. Place batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. It will be thick. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts, cherries, and butterscotch chips on top (if you remembered to save them) and pat down slightly.
  8. Bake for 23-25 minutes.
  9. Cool completely before removing bars from the pan. Then cut and enjoy!

Speaking of moms, my mom and I are going to go run the Fargo Half Marathon! RIGHT NOW. It’s my 5th (I think?) half and my mom’s 1st! She’s going to be awesome. Then we’re going to go to the cabin and spend the rest of the weekend relaxing. It’ll be perfect.

Sending lots of love to all the moms out there! You’re amazing. xoxo

Cherry Walnut Butterscotch Blondies

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Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

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Coffee tastes better on Saturdays. Sunshine is the best. Sprinkles make everything more fun.

These are just facts of life that I’ve learned over the years. 28 years to be exact. Exact because today is my 28th birthday. And to celebrate I made these super fun sprinkle sugar cookies.

sprinkle sugar cookies SEE. So much fun. Look at those colorful sprinkles! I just can’t get enough.

sprinkle sugar cookies

I haven’t made sugar cookies in forever, but I have been craving them for (what seems like) forever. Since I wasn’t in the mood to roll out dough with a rolling pin, cut out dough cookie cutters, and frost/decorate cookies to look all fancy – I didn’t!

It’s my birthday and I’ll do what I want.

And what I wanted was to make easy, delicious, drop sugar cookies that were covered in colorful sprinkles. Fancy enough for me!

sprinkle sugar cookies

These are not your crispy, dry sugar cookies. No. These are your soft, melt-in-your-mouth, amazing sugar cookies. Like clouds. Clouds that were made with butter and powdered sugar and cream cheese, because those are the ingredients that are making these sugar cookies so heavenly.

sprinkle sugar cookies

And the sprinkles. Because, once again, sprinkles make everything more fun.

But also, how cute are these colorful little bowls? My brother and sister-in-law gave them to me for my birthday! Technically, they are dip bowls, but they work for cookies too.

sprinkle sugar cookies

So right now: I’m drinking coffee. Eating one of these cookies. The sun is shining. It’s my birthday. I have high endorphins from the 25K trail race that I ran this morning. I’m meeting up with friends soon for drinks on a patio.

Needless to say, 28 has been pretty good to me so far and I’m really excited to see what else it has in store!

sprinkle sugar cookies

Life is pretty fun. Kind of like these sprinkle sugar cookies. Enjoyyyyyy <3

Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
 
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These are soft, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies rolled in sprinkles for an added oomph of fun!
Serves: 2½ dozen
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup cream cheese
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer add the butter, cream cheese, and sugars. Mix on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  3. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
  4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  5. Transfer dough to a sealed container and refrigerate for 1 hour (up to 48 hours).
  6. When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1-1 ½ inches in diameter, then roll the balls in the sprinkles.
  8. Evenly space the cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet and press each down just slightly with either your fingers or a glass until they are in the shape of small disks (but not too flat!).
  9. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies sit on the pan for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

sprinkle sugar cookies

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