Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Gingerbread Banana Bread

Make a loaf of this Gingerbread Banana Bread for an easy breakfast on Christmas morning. The molasses and spices give this banana bread recipe a delicious holiday twist.

A red and white plate with slices of banana bread standing on it and a cup of coffee behind it.

Earlier this year, I went through a banana bread-making phase. It seemed to be the thing to do as we were all at home more than usual. This peanut butter cup banana bread still has the number 1 spot as the best one so far.

Then, I just seemed to stop making banana bread. Apparently, it is feast or famine with me and banana bread. That and our youngest son kept eating all the bananas before they got ripe enough to bake with.

A few weeks ago, we had extra bananas, so I decided to give this sour cream banana bread a fun holiday twist.

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Why You'll Love This Gingerbread Banana Bread

Changing out some of the sour cream for molasses and extra spices gave this banana bread a seasonal flavor. And, of course, I'm all about adding a glaze to the top of all the sweet breads I bake. It just adds a little something extra.

Gingerbread flavor. Adding molasses and extra spices gives the classic banana bread recipe a festive twist.
Fun holiday flair. The little gingerbread men and snowflake sprinkles on top of the glaze make it so pretty and festive!
Moist and delicious. This banana gingerbread loaf turned out so good! It is soft, delicious, and moist.

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Peppermint Meltaways

These Peppermint Meltaways are soft and buttery and melt in your mouth. A pink and white peppermint glaze and crushed peppermint candies make these a great choice for holiday cookie trays.

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Christmas means it is time to peppermint all the things. Am I right? Peppermint cheesecake, peppermint popcorn, peppermint brownies, and of course, now peppermint meltaway cookies.

December is going by way too fast, and that means peppermint season is going to be over before I can even blink. So, I am going to make as many peppermint treats as I can in the next week or two because peppermint is my favorite holiday flavor.

My family is probably going to get a little tired of the pink, red, and white colors and that sweet peppermint flavor, but hey, I only go crazy for this flavor one month out of the year, so it will be ok.

There are enough meats and cheeses and other goodies in the house that they can snack on. That just means more peppermint goodness for me. Woo hoo!

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Eggnog Bundt Cake

This Eggnog Bundt Cake is the perfect dessert for the eggnog lover in your life. Eggnog in the cake and the glaze make this a holiday cake recipe that everyone will remember.

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Baking With Eggnog

Our two sons and I are the only eggnog drinkers in our house. They get so excited when they see a jug of the creamy goodness in our refrigerator until they realize I have a baking plan for that particular eggnog.

But they also know that they get to finish off any of the leftovers when I am finished baking things like a no bake eggnog pie, these eggnog scones or eggnog cupcakes.

Over the years, I have gotten smarter and have started buying two cartons of eggnog: one for them to drink right away and one for me to bake with. It's a win-win for everyone.

Why Make This Eggnog Cake

This eggnog bundt cake tastes just like a glass of eggnog—and it should, since it has eggnog in the batter and in the glaze!

Your kitchen will smell so good as this eggnog cake is baking.

Our oldest son had a big slice along with a glass of "Christmas in a glass"—aka eggnog—and gave this homemade bundt cake a big thumbs up!

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Cherry Mousse Cake

This Cherry Mousse Cake is so easy to make and tastes amazing. The layers of no bake cherry cheesecake with a chewy brownie crust make it a pretty and delicious dessert to make for the holidays.

A white plate with a fork and slice of cherry mousse brownie cake on it and a cake plate with more cake behind it.

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Why This Works

Brownie cakes have quickly become one of my favorite desserts to bring to parties or events. They are easy to make, and I love the texture contrast from the chewy brownie and the creamy mousse filling.

Fancy cakes like this Oreo mousse cake will have everyone thinking you worked all day in your kitchen. The fact that they are so easy to put together can and will be our little secret.

The layer of no bake cheesecake mousse on a brownie cakes is easy to customize. Candies, marshmallows, cookies, or pie fillings can give it a unique flavor and look without a lot of work or fuss.

Now I realize that when you hear the words pie filling, you automatically think pie. I am excited to share with you just how versatile a can of pie filling can be.

Some of my favorite desserts made with pie filling is this Cherry Danish, Blueberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, and these Lemon Coconut Cupcakes.

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Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits are an easy no bake dessert to make for the holidays. The layers of cookies, pie filling, and no bake cheesecake will have everyone reaching for another cup.

*This post is sponsored by Lucky Leaf. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Cups of raspberry white chocolate cheesecake parfaits and a can of pie filling on a white board

Right now my favorite thing to do each morning is to sit on the couch with a blanket and a cup of coffee while I enjoy our decorated Christmas tree. Maybe even with a slice or two of this cherry danish braid!

That makes me wonder an important question. Do you prefer white lights or colored lights on your tree? It is a hot topic around our house.

I’m the only one who prefers all white lights on the tree in our living room. But since I’m the one home all day, they let me have my way. Outside is another story. We do have bushes and palm trees decorated with lots of colored lights there.

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Molasses Crackle Cookies

Molasses Crackle Cookies are easy to make and are packed with your favorite spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The dough comes together quickly, chills in the fridge, and then is rolled in sugar before baking.

The result is a chewy cookie loaded with warm molasses flavor that everyone loves. It is the perfect cookie for holiday cookie trays.

A tray with Molasses Crackle Cookies stacked on it

I found a new cookie to add to our Christmas baking list. Each year we pick out about 8-10 cookie and candy recipes to make for the holidays.

Most of the recipes we choose are tried and true favorites like these Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, these colorful Christmas kiss cookies, and these Peppermint Snowball Cookies. Each year I try to find one or two new recipes to add to our baking day.

These chewy molasses cookies are definitely going on the list from now on. I loved how chewy and delicious they were.

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Eggnog Cheesecake Crumble Bars

Three times the eggnog makes these easy Eggnog Cheesecake Crumble Bars a fun treat to add to your cookie trays this holiday season.

A stack of three eggnog cheesecake bars on a white doily with a glass of eggnog behind it

Every Christmas season I look forward to buying a container of eggnog. Now I realize this drink is one that you either love or hate.

I'm on team love and like to drink a small glass of it every once in a while during the month of December, but usually I buy it for baking things like these Eggnog Sugar Cookie Bars or this Eggnog Cream Pie.

Our oldest son loves eggnog too, so I have to hide it in the fridge. If I don't hide it, he will drink it all before I get around to baking. I have a bad habit of buying ingredients one day, then not baking my recipe idea until later in the week.

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Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Add these Peppermint Oreo Truffles to your holiday cookie list and watch them disappear quickly. The classic Oreo truffles get a holiday makeover with Andes peppermint crunch baking chips inside and drizzled on top.

A white doily with two Peppermint Crunch Oreo Truffles on it cut in half

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I love keeping extra bags of Andes peppermint crunch baking chips in our pantry during the holidays. I mostly use them for baking, but sometimes, I like to sneak a few handfuls.

These peppermint pieces are probably my absolute favorite ingredient in Christmas recipes. Some of my all-time favorites from the past few years are these peppermint Oreo cookies and this no bake peppermint Oreo cheesecake.

The other night, while raiding the peppermint crunch stash in the pantry, I found a package of Oreos, so I decided to add some peppermint crunch pieces to no-bake Oreo truffles.

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Candy Cane Pretzel Bark

Easy no bake treats are always a great idea during the holidays. This Candy Cane Pretzel Bark only has 3 ingredients and can be made and ready to eat in 10 minutes. It's the perfect recipe to make for parties or cookie trays.

I love to make about a billion different holiday treats during the holidays. Ok, ok! Maybe a billion is exaggerating slightly. But there are quite a few yummy cookies and candies that get made this month.

During the holidays I tend to make even more sweet treats because we love to make extra goodies like these Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss Cookies or these Peppermint Brownie Truffles to send to friends and family.

With all these sweet treats happening, it gets a little crazy and chaotic in our kitchen. So, I am always trying to find quick and easy ways to simplify some of the treats.

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Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Bars

A layer of peppermint buttercream frosting and candy bars add a festive touch to these Chocolate Peppermint Bars. This easy cookie bar recipe will disappear quickly from your Christmas cookie trays.

Three chocolate peppermint sugar cookie bars stacked up on a red plate with a bite out of the top cookie bar

It's official. I am in full-blown "peppermint all the things" mode! Every year about this time I get the urge to add peppermint to every thing I make. Something about cooler weather and Christmas music does it to me.

Peppermint and eggnog are my two favorite holiday flavors for Christmas, so I hope you're ready for a month of recipes featuring these flavors.

Of course, I will add a few other things here and there because my family will revolt if I try to peppermint every single treat. They like peppermint, but they are not as nuts over it as I am. Yes, I'm aware that I might be living with aliens.

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