If you follow along with the “Hannah Swenson Mystery” series on Hallmark Mysteries, then you have to be familiar with Hannah’s famous chocolate chip crunch cookie! I made this cookie extra rich with browned butter, huge chocolate chunks and a sweet mystery inside!

Ingredients:

-2 1/4 cup flour

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-2 sticks unsalted butter

-2 1/2 teaspoons plain Greek yogurt

-2 eggs

-1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

-1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

-2 semi-sweet chocolate baking bars

-Small can cherry pie filling

Directions:

First melt your butter in a skillet, stirring continuously until melted and starting to become golden in color. In order for it not to burn, pour it into a heat safe bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Slowly mix in eggs, vanilla and yogurt.

Chop up chocolate bar into chunks and add into the dough mixture, leaving some behind to place on top of each cookie.

Chill dough for 30 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop chilled dough into your hand and flatten a bit to make a well in the center. Place a small dollop of cherry pie filling in the center and cover top with more cookie dough. Place on cookie sheet and add more chocolate chunks to the top. Bake for 20 minutes.

Counting down to the newest “Hannah Swenson” movie premiering on Hallmark Mysteries, I’m making different baked goods inspired by the previous Hannah Swenson movies! This recipe is inspired by a “Murder She Baked” movie, before the series changed its name to the “Hannah Swenson Mysteries”.  Since Hannah’s character usually makes cookies, I’m turning peach cobbler into a semi-homemade cookie!

Ingredients:

For cookie:

-Your choice of sugar cookie dough (homemade or store-bought)

-2 tablespoons of cinnamon

-1 tablespoon of brown sugar

For Filling:

-4 cups peaches (I used canned with no sugar added)

-1/4 cup sugar

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

-1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

-1 1/2 teaspoons water

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For crumble topping:

-1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1/2 cup flour

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Directions:

Beginning with the filling, In a medium size sauce pan on medium heat, add peaches, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir and wait for it to bubble.

In a small separate bowl, combine cornstarch and water, then add into the peach mixture in sauce pan. Again, let come to a boil. Lower heat to low and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes. Take off heat and set aside.

For cookie, In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll your cookie dough into balls and roll around cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, use a spoon to make a well in the center.

For crumble topping, melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Add brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir until a paste forms. Crumble it onto a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes at 350. Watch it closely so it doesn’t burn!

Cookie assembly:

Dollop a heaping spoonful of cobbler filling into the center of the cookie where you created the well. Top with cooled off crumble topping. Enjoy!

This is the easiest recipe that looks complicated! This recipe is inspired straight out of the Hallmark Channel Movie, “A Taste of Love”. Erin Cahill plays a chef who is doing a little soul searching and decides to enter a cooking competition. The recipe that won her that competition was her grandmother’s famous fried chicken on a waffle with special blueberry sauce. Here is my take on it!

Ingredients:

– box of corn bread mix. Any brand. ( make according to box directions)

-1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

-chicken breast tenders

-4 cups “Dots” original seasoned pretzels

-1 egg beaten

-1 can blueberry pie filling

-juice of one lemon

Tools:

-Waffle iron

-air fryer

Directions:

Make your cornbread batter. Add shredded cheese.

Warm up your waffle iron and spray with non stick spray. Scoop batter in just before it reaches the edges so it doesn’t overflow and close. Cook until done and carefully remove with a fork. Fold over right away so it creates a “taco” shape.

Next, crush your pretzels into crumbs and place in a dish. 

Beat an egg in another dish. Dredge your chicken tenders in the egg first and then the pretzel crumbs. Place in air fryer to cook.

In a small pot, combine blueberry pie filling and lemon juice until heated all the way through.

Fill your cornbread waffle with your cooked crunchy chicken and top with blueberry sauce. Enjoy!

“Loveuary,” on Hallmark Channel has been full of romantic, Jane Austen inspired movies! To finish off a lovely month, I’m making crumpets! A traditional British breakfast, or accompaniment to afternoon tea. It’s the original English muffin, but so much better than what you could find in a store!

Ingredients:

– 1 cup flour

-3/4 cup warm water plus 1 Tablespoon

-1/2 teaspoon sugar

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-dash of cinnamon

-1 teaspoon dry-active yeast

-1 tablespoon warm water

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk flour, warm water and salt until it forms a pasty dough.

In a smaller bowl, combine yeast with warm water and stir until dissolved. Add it into dough mixture. Then add sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.

Cover bowl and place in a warm spot for about 25 minutes. You will see bubbles form and a bit more volume.

Next, on a griddle or skillet, melt a bit of butter. Take a round, metal biscuit cutter and spread butter on the inside edges. Place on hot skillet and fill half way with batter. Keep on low/medium heat.

 Once the bubbles on top stop popping on their own, you can manually pop the rest with the sharp tip of a knife. Carefully remove metal ring and flip on other side for about 30 seconds until it’s golden.

To make it extra yummy, you can mix some honey with butter and slather it on top. Watch it melt into those homemade nooks and crannies! 

To celebrate the season two premiere of “The Way Home” on Hallmark Channel, I’ve created my version of Del’s famous roasted chicken from the first episode of season one! I wanted to stick with a traditional home-cooked meal feel, with my own addition of purple sweet potatoes!

Ingredients:

-Small whole chicken

-2 purple sweet potatoes

-2 shallots

-2 cloves garlic

-1 bunch fresh sage

-2 cups vegetable stock

-1/2 cup red wine

-Oregano

-Herbs de Provence 

-Salt and Pepper 

Directions:

Peel and cut purple sweet potatoes. Mince shallots, garlic and sage.

In a large/deep baking dish, place your chicken in the center. Arrange potatoes all around. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, oregano and herbs de Provence. Cover everything with minced shallots, garlic and sage. Top it all with vegetable broth and red wine. Roast at 400 degrees for an hour and a half (give or take depending on your oven). Let rest for 15 minutes and enjoy!

This sweet bread is inspired by Great American Family movie “A Dash of Christmas.”  Character Megan (played by Laura Osnes) is given a baking lesson by Aaron (Christopher Russell) and they make this amazing looking Christmas bread that I just had to make! This festive recipe has all the flavors of Christmas you love! A bit reminiscent of a fruitcake (but better), this is a beautiful bread full of dried cranberries, cherries and golden raisins. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 stick cold, unsalted butter
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup of medley (golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries)
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. Almond extract
• Lemon zest
• 2 eggs

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl, cut the cold butter, and with clean hands, incorporate it into the mix. Stir in ricotta cheese, then all other ingredients.

Gently knead dough on floured surface until it loses a bit of stickiness. Place on a silicone baking mat or non-stick baking sheet and create an oval shape. I like to lightly score the top with a pattern. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes until golden and fully baked in the center. Once cooled, top with powdered sugar!

“Destined at Christmas 2” was the perfect sequel to last year’s “Destined at Christmas” on Great American Family! Cinnamon rolls play an important part in this movie when Theo misplaces Kim’s engagement ring and it ends up in a batch of cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients:

-refrigerated pizza dough

-creamer

For filling:

-1 cup brown sugar

-2.5 tablespoons cinnamon

-one stick salted butter, softened

-5 tablespoons pumpkin butter

For cream cheese frosting:

-8 oz cream cheese frosting

-1/4 cup salted butter

-2 cups powdered sugar

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

-edible sparkle

Directions

Roll out your dough. In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and softened butter. Spread all over top of rolled out dough.

Dollop pumpkin butter all over the top of the cinnamon mixture and gently spread.

Next, tightly roll dough into a log and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice log into cinnamon roll slices and place each one facing up in a greased cake pan. Cover with dish towel and let sit for 20 minutes.

Fill about half and inch of creamer onto the bottom of the pan. Bake for 35 minutes or so until cooked through.

Spread frosting on top while warm and sprinkle with edible shimmer.

This pancake recipe is inspired by a scene in the Great American Family movie “One Perfect Match.” Lucy and Finn visit the winery that Finn’s family owns, and while doing so, his mother whips up a batch of her famous pancakes. She claims that her secret ingredients are honey and vanilla, so that sparked the beginning of this recipe! In addition to these ingredients, this is the time of year for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year. The combination of apples dipped in honey represents a sweet new year, and so I added apples!

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups flour

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon salt

– 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

– 1 small package of freeze dried cinnamon apples

-2 Tablespoons honey

-1 1/2 cups milk

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon vailla

-2 Tablespoons avocado oil

Directions:

First mix all dry ingredients up until the apples (save those for the end).

Next, add all wet ingredients. Whisk well until the lumps are smooth. Break up the freeze dried apples and gently stir those in. 

On a hot skillet, scoop batter to the desired size of pancake you want. Once done, top with more honey and enjoy!

These ribs are good for any night of the week with the warm fall flavors of apples, shallots and pumpkin ale! This recipe was inspired by the Hallmark Channel movie “Fourth Down and Love”. Football player “Mike” (Ryan Paevey) broke his ribs during a football game and while healing, found love with Erin (Pascale Hutton)! So of course, I had to make ribs, but with an Autumn twist!

Ingredients:

– 1 slab of ribs

– 2 apples

– 2 shallots

– 2 bottles pumpkin ale

-thyme

-salt and pepper

– garlic powder

-carrots

– 1/2 large onion

– pinch of sugar

Directions:

The day before cooking, marinate the ribs in one bottle of pumpkin ale overnight in a covered container.

The next day, peel and chop shallots and apples. Saute in butter until softened. Add entire bottle of pumpkin ale and set on low heat, stirring occasionally. This will eventually create a compote as the beer will totally dissipate. Add a pinch of sugar to cut some of the acidity of the beer. 

On a lined baking sheet, place ribs in the center and surround with chopped carrots and onion. Sprinkle with thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Top with more of the beer marinade. Cook at 375 degrees for 30-40 min. Top with apple chutney. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by the Great American Family movie “10 Steps to Love”, which took place around an apple orchard.  There was an apple ice cream featured in the movie as well which I thought would be the most perfect transition from Summer to Fall as we are having warm days with cooler nights.

Ingredients for ice cream base: 

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1/4 cup white sugar

-pinch of salt

-2 cups heavy cream

-1 cup milk

-1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for apples

• 8 apples peeled and cubed
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Make sure to freeze the bowl to the ice cream maker overnight first (It has liquid inside it).  

In a large mixing bowl, mix milk , salt, brown sugar and white sugar with a whisk or whisk attachment until all the sugar has been dissolved. Next, add in the heavy cream and vanilla. Refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel and dice all your apples. In a large saucepan, melt some unsalted butter. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Stir and cover with a lid on low/medium heat until soft and slightly golden. Stir occasionally so they don’t  burn, as caramelization will occur.

Spread evenly on a lined baking sheet and cool apples completely in fridge or freezer. 

Next,  remove the ice cream base the has been resting in the refrigerator and poor into frozen ice cream maker bowl. Let it mix for 20 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally. Once it has become creamy, you can add the apples that have been cooling. 

Place in freezer for another 2 hours in a covered container before serving. Tastes great with caramel!!