MCCORMICK FALL FINISHING SUGARS

Fall is in the air!! This week McCormick released a new fall line of finishing sugars. They first released Christmas flavors during the holidays last year which were all the rage. They went viral, sold out immediately and were being resold online for 3-5x the retail price. I was lucky to find them in one of my local grocery stores (read more in this post here) but I searched for weeks before finally finding them. When I saw the new fall collection was released yesterday, I immediately ordered them online here. I've already seen them go in and out of stock but as of now, all are available! If you want them, definitely jump on it and grab them fast. I'm sure as a fall item quantities are limited and that they'll sell out fast. You can order them by flavor here or buy all four flavors in this set here. 

For the new fall collection, there are three new flavors and one repeat from the holiday collection. New for this year is Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice and Maple Brown Sugar. Salted Caramel came out during the holidays and is being re-released again. I've been the most excited about Apple Cider and Maple Brown Sugar! Pumpkin Spice is always a classic fall flavor (how can you not try it???) and because I like the Salted Caramel flavor from before, I decided to also rebuy it to have in the cute fall packaging. 

I haven't tried them on anything yet but I did a quick little taste test so I could give you some first impressions. Right out of the gate, my two favorites are Maple Brown Sugar and Salted Caramel. Both of these taste yummy and are sweet just like you'd expect. I'm a sweet dessert gal through and through so these are right up my alley. The Maple Brown Sugar isn't a very strong maple taste but I think it's a great universal flavor that would go with/on a lot. The Salted Caramel is just how it sounds- very sweet like caramel with an obvious salt note. A great choice to top coffees, hot drinks + more. 

I'm a little bit torn on the Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice. These both have a very heavy spice base to them compared to the flavor of the sugar. I'm not entirely surprised for the Pumpkin Spice- some PS items go sweeter, others more on the spicy side. You never know until you try but in this cased, the PS definitely has a strong, spicier nutmeg note which isn't personally my favorite. I've never been a PSL fan and prefer more "sweet" pumpkin desserts so I may not be the best judge on this one. 

I was really thrown by Apple Cider though. While the drink counterpart has spices, it's always still very warm and sweet. This flavor (and the PS) do have some sweetness, however it also pulls more of a savory spice flavor to me. My initial thoughts went to almost a savory, pepper-like taste. Straight out of the container, it's giving a curry vibe versus a fall dessert vibe. At this moment, I'm sadly underwhelmed by these two. They're also both very similar in taste so I think you might either love or hate both. I can definitely pick up more of nutmeg note in the Pumpkin and maybe a tad more sweetness in the Apple, however both are very close to me. I'll be interested to try them out in and on some other items- we'll see if that changes the experience or flavor at all. 

One win all across the board is the texture of the sugars. I love that they use Demerara sugar for those bigger crystals and crunch. It also looks beautiful on top of baked goods, drinks + more! Once I really use them I'll definitely keep you updated and all in all, I'm excited to have them. I love anything fall + foodie so I couldn't pass these up! Definitely try them for yourself while they're in stock- I'll link them again here :) 

What's your favorite fall food/dessert?

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HOLIDAY MCCORMICK FINISHING SUGARS

I *finally* found them! You may or may not have heard about the new viral McCormick Finishing Sugars that were released for the holiday season. They are limited edition flavored sugar crystals you can use for baking, coffee, drinks and more. They came out with six flavors: Candy Cane, English Toffee, Gingerbread Spice, Hot Cocoa, Salted Caramel & White Frosting. When they were first released a few months back, they sold out immediately and have gone viral. Since then, they've re-released them in select stores but they've been super hard to find and a lot of people are re-selling them online for 5x the price. Lol.

As a baking enthusiast, coffee drinker and sugar addict, I was immediately sold on them. Why wouldn't I want holiday flavored sugar? Yessssss plsssss. Of course I immediately needed to have them which turned into a problem because like everyone else, I COULDN'T FIND THEM ANYWHERE. Nothing motivates me more than not being able to find something and refusing to accept defeat and pay 5x the price online, my wild goose chase began! I swear this happens to me every year though! There is always some new limited holiday item out that I just have to have but can never seem to find in stores. Small town probs, I guess? 

I started checking all the local grocery stores in my town + Walmart. McCormick stated they would be released at Walmart and select retailers nationwide. They also suggested using their online store locator which I did, however none of the stores listed in my area had any in stock. I also had no luck stalking Amazon and Walmart online, however I read a lot of comments that Walmart has been restocking often. Several people also said you could order online + pickup if your store was in stock. 

I kept checking the store locator on McCormick's site and one day, a new location for my local grocery store chain was added. Thinking it was a long shot but still determined to find them, I decided to go check and I lucked out! This store had all of them in-stock on a small little shelf near the endcap of the baking aisle. I know Walmart has an entire McCormick free standing display for theirs, however I expected other stores to have a smaller display in the baking aisle or in the seasonal, holiday section. My particular store didn't have them in any type of displayer, just sitting together on a little metal rack. They were technically in the baking aisle though- hopefully that helps if you're still on the hunt! 

I haven't tried any of them out yet but I'm excited to use for hot chocolate and cookies this season! I was fortunate enough to find all flavors but I'm most excited for the Salted Caramel and English Toffee. Sadly no one ever seems to make enough of anything limited edition but I'm sure based on the demand that they are trying to make as many as possible. I also think we can expect them to come out again next year. I'll post an update once I try them all out + let you know how they are! 

I'll also go ahead and link them all for you in my Amazon Storefront here. If you want to catch them, I suggest adding them to a wish-list + then keeping an eye for restocks! You'll be able to find them faster and it should show when they are back in stock to purchase. 

Which flavor sounds the yummiest to you?

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

TASTE TESTING TRADER JOE'S PUMPKIN BREAD + MUFFIN MIX

I crossed two things off of my Fall Bucket List yesterday. One was trying the new Iced Caramel Apple Macchiato from Starbucks, the other to do some fall baking. I've always loved the process and preciseness of baking from scratch, however I can also get down with a yummy box mix. Sometimes quick, easy + less mess is the way to go. Pumpkin bread is also one of my favorite fall classics-- I like it sweet, moist and not too spicy. I found a box of the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread + Muffin Mix in my pantry that I'd purchased last year but never ended up trying. I figured now was the perfect time to whip it up and see whether it's worth repurchasing again this year! Also a quick FYI-- if you don't live near a TJ's, the mix is available here on Amazon! It's a little pricey but easy to order if you can't get it otherwise :) 

+MAKE & BAKE

Whether you make it from scratch or out of a box, pumpkin bread is pretty straightforward. The TJ's mix only required water, eggs + vegetable oil. To make things a little bit healthier, I swapped the veg out for coconut oil which worked great. I followed the rest of the box instructions to a tee which is like most cake/bread recipes-- mix liquids + combine with dry until smooth. The entire process was a breeze and cook time was pretty accurate too. I have a gas oven which tends to cook things faster so I took mine out about five minutes early + it came out perfect!

+TASTE & TEXTURE

The texture was great too-- the perfect balance between bread and cake. The outside had a bit of a crust with a soft and moist inside like a loaf should be. It wasn't sticky or dry and I really enjoyed the flavor. The pumpkin is very subtle with a noticeable spice element, however I didn't find it to be too much or overkill. Delicious warmed with a little butter! If you do like a strong pumpkin flavor, adding pumpkin puree into the batter would be an easy addition. I also think throwing some chocolate chips or pumpkin seeds in would be yummy too. 

What should I try out next?? 

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VALENTINE'S DAY FROSTED SUGAR COOKIES

I've been wanting to make frosted sugar cookies since Christmas! I never had the time to do it during the holidays so Valentine's Day was the next best thing. I've of course made sugar cookies before but this was my first time icing them with a piping bag. How do you think I did? By no means are they perfect but I thought I would share them + the recipe I used! Super yummy and the perfect V-Day treat for yourself or your boo. 

Spatula / Cookie Cutters (similar) / Rack

I love sharing my picks with you all! Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

You can use any sugar cookie recipe you like-- I used one I found on the back of the heart-shaped cookie cutters I bought (almost exact cutters here). It was super easy to follow! For the frosting, I used the Powdered Sugar Icing Recipe from DesignEatRepeat. Click here for the recipe on her blog!

TIPS + MY TWO CENTS

I listed the recipe below exactly how it was printed, however make sure you use softened butter. I also used an x-large egg but either size works. Something I found helpful is to roll + cut out your dough directly on parchment paper or chill it before rolling. My first batch stuck to my countertop and I had to scrap them + start over. You could also cut them + then chill before removing the edges/excess dough! Chilling makes it so much easier to work with. 

I like soft sugar cookies so I took them out just as the edges started to brown/turn golden. They bake quickly + only took about 6-7 minutes in the oven! Also be sure to let them cool completely before frosting 🤗  

SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS 

(Made about 28 cookies with my cookie cutters)                     

1 cup butter                                   

1 cup sugar                                    

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder 

2-3/4 cups flour  

PREPARATION

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. 

Mix all dry ingredients and add slowly to butter cream mixture until incorporated. 

Roll out on lightly floured board to desired thickness. 

Cut out cookies using cookie cutters and bake at 400°F / 200°C

Should be light in color with light browning on the edges. 

FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS 

Mixing Bowls / Measuring Cups + Spoons / Liquid Measuring Cups / Spatulas / Cookie Sheets / Cooling Racks 

FAVORITE BAKING INGREDIENTS 

Flour / Baking Powder / Vanilla (the BEST-- worth the $$$) / Sugar 

These are so so good so I hope you'll try them out! If you do, send me pics! You can find me on IG @TheKristenDiary. Hope you have a Happy Valentine's + Galentine's Day! 

xx,

Kristen

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