Breakfast Goodies

My family always took brunch very seriously, and I’ve made it my mission to find all the best breakfast recipes and brunch goodies around. Sure, the healthy stuff like delicious frittatas and smoothies full of fruits and veg…but especially the wonderful carbs.

That’s right, the sheer number of different types of pancakes, waffles, scones, twisty sweet breads, biscuits, and more that I’ve got here might blow your mind.

With that in mind, here are a few of my fave breakfast recipes to get you started:

You can see the full recipe index here, look through a more visual archive here, or you can browse the archives below…

Single-Serving Dark Chocolate Waffle…Bittersweet, Indulgent, & Delicious

September 19, 2021

Guyyysssssss. I have all the treats for us today. Several months ago I shared a totally addictive waffle recipe but my conundrum was…it made like 6 waffles which my waistline cannot handle. So today I present to you single-serving dark chocolate waffles!

Now don’t get me wrong, these still pack quite the caloric punch, but they’re one of those amazing dishes that is the perfect answer to sudden cravings.

Ten minutes later you have bittersweet, indulgent chocolate-y carbs without days of leftovers.

One thing to call out is I would recommend using really good quality dark chocolate if you can, like Ghiradelli or above. If you can cut up a bar vs. using chocolate chips that is nice too, because the chocolate chips have stabilizers on them that make them not as melty.

Either olive oil or melted butter can work fine here but I tend toward butter since it makes the waffles a little more crisp.

And this waffle iron has become my true love in the past couple years, just so easy to use, doesn’t need cleaning much, and makes amazingly crisp waffles!

READ THE POST

Shaken Iced Brown Sugar Cinnamon Vanilla Latte

September 12, 2021

When I first saw a post about a shaken iced brown sugar latte, I thought “COLOR ME INTRIGUED”. I’m known to make my own iced lattes from time to time, but had never thought to shake the mixture. And yet, it makes perfect sense and I knew I had to try it.

Why should you shake espresso or coffee? There are a few answers to that, and it’s very similar to why you shake certain types of cocktails (but not others).

First, it blends and emulsifies the ingredients so they are truly mixed and take on a kind of creamy mouthfeel even without any dairy. The shaking also aerates the mixture, which releases flavor compounds (esters??) and really highlights the different flavor notes in the coffee.

And it chills it quickly, preventing it from getting watered down—CLUTCH.

I believe without milk this would be called a “shakerato“…and it achieves a similar effect to using or “pressing” my Aeropress directly over ice cubes to make my favorite iced coffee ever (releasing flavor!).

And apparently this is a copycat recipe of Starbucks’ iced brown sugar oat milk latte (which I’ve never tried), but I feel confident that this homemade version is healthier, it’s definitely cheaper, and I’d personally hazard a guess to say it’s yummier too.

One key is to shake all the ingredients EXCEPT the milk. I tried shaking it with the milk as well, but it deadens the strong flavors of the espresso and brown sugar syrup—I was not a fan. Simply pour your shaken, foamy mixture into the milk and stir a bit instead.

READ THE POST

Egg & Salmon Breakfast Casserole with Goat Cheese & Veggies

August 8, 2021

I feel like I can sense about half of the internet’s judgment from here…”Fish in an egg casserole?? Are you insane?!” I know, I know. That’s basically what I was telling myself when I threw together this egg and salmon breakfast casserole with delicious salty goat cheese and tons of veggies.

I feel like the idea of a salmon breakfast casserole is kind of weird, unless you’re using smoked salmon maybe…you know, like a twist on “bagel and lox”. In this case, though, we’re using regular grilled or baked salmon, flaked into chunks and studded throughout.

The texture is better in a baked egg dish, it’s not as salty, and is a perfect way to use up leftover salmon filets from dinner.

We still get the saltiness with the addition of fluffy goat cheese, and brighten it up with fresh herbs…whatever you have on hand works. I had basil, which is perfect, but any combination of chives, dill, a little rosemary, etc. will work.

And finally we pack it with tons of roasted or sautéed vegetables. You can use whatever you have on hand here too. I used sweet potatoes, onions, baby bell peppers, and zucchini.

READ THE POST

Small-Batch Mixed-Berry Cornmeal Pancakes

July 18, 2021

These mixed-berry pancakes were my on-a-whim “patriotic” meal 4th of July treat this year, and perfectly encapsulate midsummer happiness.

Serendipitous carbs, if you will…

I woke up starving and wanting something special and slightly indulgent, without being fussy, time-consuming, or over the top gluttonous. I also was leaving the next morning for several days, so my fridge was pretty bare.

But I had, like…an insane amount of berries that were going to end up in the garbage otherwise.

So I tried out a small-batch adaptation of the delicious strawberry cornmeal griddle cakes that I made on 4th of July several years ago after hiking like 20+ miles the day before.

I remember being enamored of the buttery flavor, studded with bright strawberries, and the unique texture. This version ups the fruit content even more, with a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, and cherries (or whatever you have on hand), and the addition of cinnamon and a splash of almond extract.

They’re also so easy! They’re perfect if you want a last-second treat, coming together in just 5 minutes.

READ THE POST

Easy Bourbon Cherry Jam (With or Without Pectin)

July 13, 2021

I look forward to cherry season all year. For a month or so I buy as many dark sweet cherries as I can get my hands on, and absolutely gorge myself. But sometimes I go a bit overboard and have to figure out what to do with the rest of my bounty. Enter…delicious bourbon cherry jam!

The great thing about this recipe is that if you’re looking for a cherry jam without pectin, this one has got you covered…but if you’ve got pectin on hand and you’re looking for a thicker, more “set” jam then this recipe is perfect as well.

As with most jam recipes, this one is really forgiving on quantities. Basically, you want roughly a 2:1 fruit-to-sugar ratio, so a kitchen scale will be helpful.

So for this batch I had 570g (a little over half a pound) of dark sweet cherries, and so used around 280g of sugar (I backed off just a tiny bit because my cherries were quite sweet).

It will seem like way too much sugar, but that ratio is really important…if you cut back too much, the jam won’t set well (especially if you’re not using pectin). The sugar plays a critical role in the jam science. JAM SCIENCE!

READ THE POST

Sweet & Gooey Lemon Cardamom Buns

June 26, 2021

I don’t know when and I don’t know how, but these gooey, sweet lemon cardamom buns popped into my head as a full-blown “I must make this now” idea.

This flavor combo is super interesting and not terribly common…I’m guessing that in my many MANY hours of watching Great British Bake-Off, I’ve soaked in the idea of using fresh green cardamom with lemon or orange from a few of my favorite bakers (hi, Nadiya!).

I’ve been really into citrus or fruit plus herbal or warm spice flavors lately, particularly in cocktails (like this basil gin gimlet) but a bit in baking too (helloooo orange cinnamon twist bread!).

As I was spreading on the amazing lemon-cardamom filling in this recipe, I had another brainwave and realized that lemon basil would be absolutely delicious too!

I initially tried this with a different dough, but it didn’t rise and turned out super dense…I’m not sure why since I’ve had success with that dough before (I may have killed the yeast with too-hot liquid).

So I switched to using the dough from Paul Hollywood’s chelsea buns, which is simple but I know is delightfully soft. I added a little sugar and tweaked the flavorings to infuse both fresh and dried cardamom and some lemon zest.

The result is a fascinating, addictive flavor combo and a soft, sticky, sweet, gooey breakfast-maybe-dessert bun.

READ THE POST

Easy Almond Flour Pancakes (Naturally Gluten-Free, Keto, Low Carb)

May 28, 2021

I wasn’t planning to share any more keto recipes, as it’s not really the focus of this blog and I feel a bit tapped out on what I can do there. But then this amazing and easy almond flour pancake recipe came along and…honestly?? They are shockingly good.

While I won’t tell you that these naturally gluten-free pancakes are just as perfect and fluffy as my basic buttermilk ones (scientifically, can’t really be), it’s the first recipe in a while that didn’t feel like I was getting a lesser version of what I really wanted.

These are great just being what they are. They’re moist, have a little fluff to them, and a really nice texture overall. They’ve got a little sweetness. They pack a punch in both protein and fat, but basically no carbs.

And you can make a batch of the batter and keep it in the fridge, just making up a few here and there as needed (I don’t think they’re as great reheated).

And the best part about these keto pancakes? Less than 15 minutes start to finish, including a 5-minute rest of the batter.

READ THE POST

Tahini Pistachio Biscotti with Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt

April 6, 2021

I kind of forget about biscotti a lot of the time. In fact it’s been almost three years since I last posted a new biscotti recipe. But that accidental streak breaks here and now…because these tahini pistachio biscotti are the BOMB.

Add a drizzle of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt, and you’ve got a winner.

The thing about making biscotti is that, while the overall time from start to finish can look daunting, the actual hands-on time is pretty minimal.

The dough comes together in just a few minutes, you make dough logs (nothing fancy!), then some slicing. Chocolate dipping if you like. Bing bang boom.

Biscotti dough can sometimes be a little temperamental from a texture standpoint, and in this case I had to add an extra egg to the original recipe (and that’s reflected in my recipe below).

You don’t want your dough too wet, but you DO need it to hold together in your dough logs. But obviously that extra egg (plus the tahini in the recipe) makes these a little more moist even after the second bake.

So you won’t get these tahini pistachio biscotti truly dried out and crunchy like some biscotti recipes, but that doesn’t matter—they’re delicious.

READ THE POST

Protein-Packed Single-Serving Almond Butter Waffle (GF, Keto, Low Carb)

February 27, 2021

First off, I’m not going to pretend that these are “real” waffles. Not like my fluffy carb-y buttermilk goodness, or dark chocolate indulgence. But if you’re on a low carb diet for whatever reason, this keto waffle recipe might be your best friend.

I accidentally made this a few months ago on a healthy whim, and kind of forgot about it since it didn’t blow my mind.

But the last month I’ve been on a super low-carb diet for health reasons for (like keto, but more restrictive). And after a couple weeks of egg-mania plus some 90-second keto bread, I was craving something that felt semi-normal.

You might also like: 10 Tips For Surviving a Super Low-Carb Diet (e.g. Keto)

It’s crazy easy and all the ingredients were things I had on-hand. Even if you’re not on a specific diet, going low-carb and gluten-free on occasion isn’t a bad thing.

I often add a bit of cinnamon and vanilla to the mix, and you could even try going a tiny bit savory if you wanted (like some fresh rosemary). It doesn’t need sweetener, but you could definitely add a bit of honey or monkfruit syrup too.

I’ve made it in both my more Belgian-style waffle maker and a more traditional rectangle one and it’s great either way (I’m more partial to the Belgian).

READ THE POST

Super Easy Lemon Poppyseed Food Processor Biscuits

February 14, 2021

Guys, there are few things more magical than fluffy hot layered biscuits fresh out of the oven. But honestly…I’m often too lazy to want to spend time cutting or rubbing the butter into the flour. Which is why these food processor biscuits are my new EVERYTHING.

I mean, even on my laziest morning I can throw some stuff in a food processor, blitz it, pat it out, and throw it in the oven.

I love these perfumed with lemon zest and some poppyseeds, for a subtle flavor that pairs perfectly with honey or jam. But the flavors are totally flexible…try orange zest, cinnamon, chopped fresh rosemary, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

The one thing to know is that my dough is often a bit too wet if I use all the buttermilk called for, so maybe go a little easy at first to see if you need it all. But even if your dough gets too wet and sticky, you can add a bit of extra flour while you roll it out—problem solved.

And in less than 30 minutes, you’ll have hot, flaky, steamy biscuits just begging to be devoured!

READ THE POST