I was out of town for a week and came home yesterday! My first flight of the day was at 5:30am…since it was so early, I didn't get much sleep. Honestly, when I have such an early flight, I usually don't sleep well. I'm so paranoid I'm going to oversleep and miss my flight! Please remind me never to book a flight so early! I literally had to have people ask me questions more than once today because my brain was so slow from the lack of sleep.

I told you that I was going to make these cupcakes with almond milk and I did it! I'm so thrilled to share these with you and work with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze again!

How about another close up? Don't you love the blue buttercream and the sprinkles? Sprinkles MAKE me SMILE!

I always measure out the dry ingredients first and then get to the wet ingredients.

Cream the butter and the sugar together.

Then, add the eggs one at a time.

After mixing the eggs and vanilla extract into the butter and sugar.

I add the dry ingredients in two batches and mix.

And then, add the almond milk…since these are vanilla cupcakes…I used the Almond Breeze almondmilk vanilla!

Nice batter!

Using a cookie scoop,

I portion out the batter in the cupcake liner-filled muffin tin.

While the cupcakes are baking, I make the buttercream.

I love the turquoise color that I used for the frosting. I made these for friends and they were a hit! I'm loving baking with almond milk and can't wait to try more recipes!!

Don't forget to check out the $100 giveaway I have going on right now that's sponsored by Almond Breeze!

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Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream (made with almond milk!) Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 2 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk vanilla

Vanilla Buttercream

• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 pounds powdered sugar sifted
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 to 4 Tablespoons Almond Breeze Almondmilk vanilla maybe a little more

Instructions

Vanilla Cupcakes

• Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Add cupcake liners to muffin tins. In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or can use a large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer), add butter and sugar. Cream butter until light and fluffy using the paddle attachment. On slow speed, add eggs, one at a time and until completely mixed. Then, add vanilla extract and vegetable oil and mix.
• Add dry ingredients and mix on slow speed until incorporated. Do not overmix. Add almond milk and mix on slow speed for 30 seconds. Scrape bottom and mix again for 20 to 30 second or until batter is smooth.
• Scoop or pour 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake liner. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from muffin tin and allow to cool on cooling rack.

Vanilla Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and beat with paddle attachment until smooth. Add powdered sugar in two batches and mix until creamed. Add vanilla and mix.
• Add almond milk, gradually, starting with 1 Tablespoon at a time. Mix and and continue adding almond milk until smooth. Continue mixing buttercream for 4 to 5 minutes. Store in the refrigerator if not using immediately. Place buttercream on your kitchen counter for at least 15 to 20 minutes before using (if refrigerating).

Notes

from The Little Kitchen (modified from my other Vanilla Cupcakes recipe)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk. I only work with brands that I love and always share with you my own and honest opinions.
 
 

The post Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream (made with almond milk!) appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

So I started seeing a new primary care doctor recently and she thinks I'm lactose intolerant to a certain degree. I'm honestly not surprised about this revelation because like 90% of Asians are lactose intolerant. My older sister actually developed an intolerance to lactose in her 30s as well. I'm not going to bother getting tested, I researched that, I don't want to spend hours at the doctor's office.

Anyways, she kind of freaked me out when she said you should probably stay away from mac & cheese. I gave her a face. But I love mac & cheese. And then, I got a little bit clever…when it came time to bounce around ideas for my continued partnership with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk, I thought why not make a mac & cheese recipe with almond milk…it can be done, right? I have been trying my hand at baking with and cooking with almond milk so this was exciting for me to try.

It took a couple of tries and tweaks to get it right but I can yes, it can be done! It's so creamy and cheesy, I love it!

We're big fans of buying blocks of cheese and grating it when we need it. I chose swiss gruyere, parmesan and sharp cheddar for my three cheese macaroni and cheese.

Melt the butter and add the salt and spices.

Then, add flour and create a roux. You want to cook it so the flour gets cooked.

Then, slowly whisk in the Almond Breeze almondmilk, for this recipe, I used the original flavor. Then mix in the cheese.

There you go!

Add the macaroni pasta and mix really well.

And you have cheesy goodness. Enough said. I'm so happy about this…you don't even know! I know some of you are going to ask but I don't really have a problem with most cheeses like cheddars because they don't have a lot of lactose or they are lactose free.

And PS, even Curtis is excited about this recipe! I'm out of town and he texted me a picture of his dinner plate complete with leftover mac & cheese on that plate! Yay!

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Three Cheese Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 to 8 as a side dish

Ingredients

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• a dash of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 cups Almond Breeze Almondmilk Original
• 1 1/4 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup freshly grated swiss gruyere cheese
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water with salt added to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions on the package.
• While the water is boiling, melt butter in another pot on medium heat. Add ground mustard, salt, pepper and ground nutmeg and mix in flour. Constantly stir and mix the flour mixture in the pot for about 3 to 4 minutes, creating a roux and cooking the flour.
• Slowly whisk in Almond Breeze Almondmilk, mixing it into the flour mixture carefully. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, while whisking the mixture. Add cheese and mix, turn the heat off. Add the drained pasta to the pot with the cheese sauce. Mix together to coat the pasta and serve immediately.

Notes:

• You can store the leftovers in the refrigerator but when you microwave it, it's not the same consistency as when you first make it and eat it out of the pot. You can also bake it in a baking dish. Curtis loved baking the leftovers in the oven.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk. I only work with brands that I love and always share with you my own and honest opinions.

The post Three Cheese Mac & Cheese Recipe (made with almond milk!) appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm excited to share with you another recipe with my work with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk! I have been working on the ultimate chocolate chip banana bread recipe made with almondmilk and I was so excited when I got it right!

Sometimes, when I have an idea, it works on the first or second try. Sometimes it takes 4 tries or even 7 tries. You should see me dancing around the kitchen when a plan finally comes together (okay maybe you don't want to see me dance haha!). Ever since I started working with Almond Breeze, I wanted to start baking with almondmilk. I knew it could be done!

This banana bread recipe is super moist and is packed with flavor. I used the Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla and I love the flavor it gives to the banana bread…and by the way, it's my favorite Almond Breeze flavor to have with my cereal in the mornings.

Now that I have this recipe under my belt, I can't wait to try more baking & cooking with Almond Breeze Almondmilk…including trying my vanilla cupcakes, these nutella milkshakes and my french toast sticks!

First things, first put that butter on the counter so it can soften.

Then, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Then take 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture and mix with the chocolate chips. I learned this a couple of years ago…this is how you keep the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom when you pour it into the batter.

Then, peel the bananas.

I know, I know, banana bread purists will complain that these are not ripe enough (but I agree to a certain extent). Your bananas should be black but guess what? This recipe works even with the ripe bananas above. Yay!

Peel and then mash the bananas. I find that mashing with a potato masher works best!

For this recipe, I use a mix of granulated and light brown sugar. I used an electric hand mixer to cream the butter with the sugars.

After mixing in the egg, this is what the batter looks like.

After adding the vanilla extract,Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla and grape seed oil and mixing it together, this is what the batter looks like. It starts to look curdled. But don't worry.

Add the mashed bananas and mix with a rubber spatula. I find that I like the bread better when I mix in the bananas with a spatula vs. using the hand mixer.

Add the flour mixture in two batches and fold in with the spatula.

Now add, the chocolate chips (that were mixed in with some of the flour).

There's your batter!

Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees F.

And there you have a wonderfully moist, chocolatey banana bread…that you'll thank me for!

Share it with your friends or keep it all for yourself, I won't judge.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1 9x5 loaf

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 medium overripe bananas peeled and mashed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grape seed oil

Instructions

• Place butter on the counter to soften. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
• Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together with a rubber spatula to combine and set aside.
• Take 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture and add to a small mixing bowl. Add chocolate chips to that small bowl and combine. (This will ensure the chocolate chips don’t sink to the bottom of the bread). Set aside.
• Mash the bananas with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon in another separate bowl.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric hand mixer. Beat for about 60 to 90 seconds. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla extract, the almondmilk and grapeseed oil to the butter and sugar and mix until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
• Add bananas and mix with a rubber spatula. In two batches, using the rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until combined, don’t over mix. Then, fold in the chocolate chips (that have been combined with the flour mixture).
• Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place loaf pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes.
• Slide cooling rack on top of the loaf pan and flip over. Allow the bread to cool upright on the cooling rack, at least 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. Store leftovers in a sealed container.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk. I only work with brands that I love and always share with you my own and honest opinions.
 

The post Chocolate Chip Banana Bread appeared first on The Little Kitchen.