key lime pie pancakes

the last time i shared a pancake recipe was 11 months ago!  wow, that's crazy to me.  don't go thinking that we haven't been making pancakes for the better part of a year.  we have certainly made and eaten more than our fair share, but they always get gobbled up so fast there's no time to snap a quick photo!

on sunday morning i was scrolling through pinterest and found a recipe for key lime pie pancakes.  since i had just bought a lime at the grocery store two days before, i knew what i had to make for breakfast that morning!

we're big fans of key lime pie and making that classic dessert into pancake form was a genius move!  these pancakes have all the flavor of key lime pie and have such a great texture.  the recipe made a little more than we could eat, so it's nice to know there are a few more waiting in the fridge for us (but don't expect them to be in the fridge for long)!

key lime pie pancakes
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
yields 3-4 servings
adapted from peas and crayons

ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened and unflavored almond milk
6 oz. plain greek yogurt
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 graham crackers, crushed into a fine flour
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 large eggs

directions:
in a bowl, combine the milk, yogurt, and lime juice.  whisk well and set aside.  in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, crushed graham crackers, sugar, and lime zest.  add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the oil and eggs.  whisk well until no lumps remain.

heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake.  cook 3-4 minutes until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, they cook for 3 minutes on the other side until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.  serve warm, topped with additional lime zest, whipped cream, and/or warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

homemade berry-flavored limeade (three ways)

we really enjoyed our homemade limeade.  in addition to drinking it plain, we also jazzed it up with some berries.

limeade and lemonade can be flavored with just about anything.  we made three flavors of berry limeade: strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry.  the fresh fruit added such a great flavor to the limeade and it was a wonderfully refreshing treat!

homemade berry-flavored limeade (three ways)
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 serving

ingredients:
a handful of fresh berries
1 serving of homemade limeade

directions:
in a blender or a food processor, puree the berries.  press the pureed berries through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds.  spoon the strained berry puree into a glass of limeade.  stir well to combine.  adjust to taste.

enjoy!

love, laurie

homemade limeade

the weather has been wacky lately.  one day it's cold and raining, the next day it's sunny and humid.  on the oppressively humid days of summer, nothing is as refreshing as a cold glass of homemade lemonade or limeade.  it's classic.

i found a big bag of limes on sale at the grocery store and as soon as i saw them i knew i had to make homemade limeade.  it has been far too long since we have had homemade limeade as a treat in our house.

juicing that many limes was a work out.  i didn't hold back, and i juiced the entire 3 pound bag.  ryan thought i was crazy, but i decided if i was going to make limeade i was going to commit to it.  i wanted to make sure i had some leftover to save for the rest of the week.  (it disappears fast you know.)  let me tell you, after i was done juicing that many limes i felt it in my arms for sure!

i tend to like my lemonade and limeade a bit tart instead of sweet, so i didn't add a ton of sugar, but the great thing is that when you are making something like this you can adjust the sweetness level to your personal taste.

for a little extra pizazz, i rimmed the glasses with sugar.  it makes the limeade feel extra fancy.

to rim the glasses with sugar, simply run a damp paper towel (or a lime) around the rim of each glass, then invert the glass onto a plate of sugar.

this limeade is cool and refreshing.  garnish with a wedge of lime and a fun straw and enjoy!

homemade limeade
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 large pitcher of limeade

ingredients:
3 cups fresh lime juice
6-8 cups filtered water
1/2 cup granulated sugar

directions:
stir the sugar in the water until it dissolves.  stir in the lime juice.  adjust to taste.  refrigerate until ready to serve.  serve cold.

enjoy!

love, laurie

cherry limeade cupcakes

for father's day, ryan and i made cupcakes for dessert.  we wanted to make something different than regular chocolate or vanilla cupcakes, so we decided to make cherry limeade cupcakes.

i love flavored lemonade and limeade.  cherry limeade is such a refreshing treat in the summer, and it translates perfectly into cupcake format!

these cupcakes are full of fresh lime flavor.  the vanilla cake has fresh lime juice and lime zest in it.  after the cupcakes baked, we brushed fresh lime simple syrup over the tops of them too.

we topped the cupcakes off with cherry frosting.  the color of the frosting is so vibrant and cheery, and the cherry flavor is wonderful.

the flavors of the lime and the cherry blend together perfectly.  such a good combination!  yum!

these cupcakes scream summer.  they are so light and refreshing, and they're not too sweet.

to make them look like little cups of cherry limeade, we topped them off with a fresh lime wedge, a maraschino cherry, and a little paper straw.

they were so cute!

cherry limeade cupcakes
prep time: 15-20 minutes
baking time: 18-20 minutes
yields: 16-17 cupcakes
adapted from cooking classy

cupcake ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime zest
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons lime juice

simple syrup ingredients:
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

frosting ingredients:
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  line cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners.  to make the cupcakes, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes.  in a food processor, pulse together the granulated sugar and the lime zest until finely ground.  add the lime sugar to the butter and whip until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  beat in the egg, then beat in the egg whites, one at a time.  add the vanilla and mix well.  sift the flour, cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl.  in a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk with the lime juice.  add one third of the sifted dry ingredients to the batter and beat until just combined.  mix in half of the buttermilk and lime juice mixture.  repeat with another third of the dry ingredients and the second half of the wet ingredients.  then add the remaining third of the dry ingredients.  beat until combined.  pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling each about two-thirds of the way full.  bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.  allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

to make the simple syrup, whisk together the sugar and lime juice in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.  brush the mixture over the cupcakes.  (use all of it.  i brushed on two light coats over each cupcake.)

to make the frosting, combine the butter, cherry juice, and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  whisk together until combined.  gradually add the remaining powdered sugar.  add red food coloring if desired.  use a piping bag to pipe the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes.

enjoy!

love, laurie

lime bars with pistachio graham cracker crust

for easter sunday, in addition to making carrot cake (seen here) ryan and i also made lime bars with pistachio graham cracker crust for dessert.  for the lime bars, we followed this recipe (which we decided to double since there were so many people coming to ryan's parent's house for dinner).  the lime bars were a wonderful alternative to traditional key lime pie.  the tart flavor of these bars made them a refreshing dessert which put me right in the mood for summer!  if you are a fan of citrus, i highly recommend trying these lime bars!

combine the ingredients for the crust and press

the mixture into a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

bake the crust until lightly browned and then let it cool.

whisk together the ingredients for the filling 

and pour the mixture over the cooled crust.

bake until the filling is set.

when the filling is set, let the filling cool.

chill in the refrigerator before cutting and serving.

enjoy!

love, laurie