Pumpkin & Maple Gingerbread Bundt

I've been wanting to make this for a long time! I found it on Cheeky Kitchen, a fun recipe blog by a friend of mine.

Finally I got to make it.
It wasn't as hard as it may look, and it's really good, especially if you love the taste of Gingerbread. Plus, the cream cheese frosting is THE BEST. EVER. So fluffy, and just so GOOD. I will save that recipe for everything else and make it my standard for everything cream cheese. Really. I'm sure you will too after trying it.

Pumpkin & Maple Gingerbread Bundt

You'll need two bowls to mix it up, but will marble it together before baking. I baked mine in a bundt pan. It's a lot of batter, so the bundt rises high. If you'd rather cook it in a 9x13 pan, feel welcome. It will work just beautifully.

In One Bowl, Mix:-----------------In Another Bowl, Mix:

3 eggs ----------------------------------3 eggs

1 c. pumpkin pie mix---------------------1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. sugar----------------------------1/4 c. molasses

1/2 c. oil ------------------------------1/2 c. oil

1 T. cinnamon-----------------------------1 T. ginger

1/2 tsp. baking powder--------------------1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. milk----------------------------------1/2 c. milk

2 c. flour----------------------------------1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt----------------------------------1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla-------------------------------1 tsp. maple extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat all ingredients together. Pour each batter in rotating layers into a well greased & floured bundt pan, or a greased 9x13 pan. Run a knife through the layers to marble the batters together. Bake bundts for 52-55 minutes. Bake 9x13 pans for 32-35 minutes, or until top of cake springs back when touched. Frost warm cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream.

*

Cream Cheese Buttercream

8 oz. cream cheese

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

Beat all together with an electric mixer. Frost warm cake.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I don't think I could make these muffins fast enough for Daniel... for some reason, he just could eat these all day. Maybe because they're soft and fluffy or the perhaps it's the combination of the cream cheese topping with the pumpkin spices.

Whatever it is, they're definitely a make again!
Thanks to the girl who ate everything for introducing me (and Daniel) to this yummy fall delight!

Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins (With Cream Cheese Frosting)

by The Pioneer Woman

Muffins:
1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 heaping cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup golden raisins (optional!)

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until all incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins.

Fold gently until mixture is just combined. Pour into greased muffin pan—batter hardly ever fills all twelve unless you keep it down to 1/2 full. Sprinkle generous amounts of cinnamon-sugar over the top of each unbaked muffin. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. Ice with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup softened butter

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 pound powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients on high until soft and whipped. Spread onto completely cooled muffins, or place into a large pastry bag with a large star tip and go crazy!
Store in fridge, as icing will soften at room temperature.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I just have to post this because they are too delicious!! I made them yesterday for our sunday school class and they seemed to really love them!

Although there's a lot of steps and it may seem hard, it's not bad at all...and the end result is amazing. Definitely a make again. And again. And again.
I found this at The Girl Who Ate Everything. Her recipes are fantastic! I also used her picture too since I didn't have a chance to take one...

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I feel like a make a lot of chocolate peanut butter treats...

I guess it's because Daniel loves them so much.
So here's another one for you.

I first made these when Daniel and I were dating. Our plan was to make a treat and then go to this fabulous park and enjoy them. He picked these.
What a surprise.
ha.


They are actually really good. I mean, really REALLY good.
Chocolate cupcakes filled with a peanut butter cream and yummy chocolate glaze.
DE-lightful!

STEP 1:
Bake Devil's Food Cake cupcakes according to directions on package.
(Don't overfill cupcake papers!! Only fill about half full otherwise the tops may be too big and will fall off when trying to dip in chocolate!)

STEP 2:
Mix 1 (3.4 oz) package of vanilla instant pudding mix with 1 cup milk using electric beaters (whisks) until it be begins to set up (about 2 mins)
add 1/2 cup peanut butter and mix in.

STEP 3:
Fill cupcakes with pudding mixture:
You can do this several ways. I find it easiest to use a pastry bag or frosting dispenser with a long pointy hole tip.
Poke it into the top of the cupcake and squeeze about 1-2 Tablespoons into the center of it.

OR

Put the mixture in a ziplock bag and cut the tip off the bag so you can squeeze the filling out.
Using a knife, poke a hole into the cupcake and insert the tip of the bag and squeeze filling into the cupcake.

*Do this while the cupcakes are fairly warm. In fact, probably before they have cooled off more than 30 min.

STEP 4:
Put 4 semi-sweet baking chocolate squares into a microwave-safe bowl with 1 1/2 cups thawed cool whip. Stir every 1 minute you cook it.
Mine only took about 2 minutes. After two, just stir it up really well until it's a smooth consistency.
Dip tops of cupcakes into chocolate sauce and twist as us you pull up.

Top with remaining peanut butter filling, peanut butter cups, or whatever your heart desires.

HEALTHY! Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

So Daniel's mother and sister are very into health foods and discovering the newest-greatest-healthiest food.
Somehow they came across this recipe.
I've been a little skeptical of some of the other recipes. I mean, c'mon, usually, healthy food (particularly healthy treats) are NOT very good at all.
But this one, this recipe is different.

These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are the best I've ever had! Better than unhealthy cookies even!
Seriously!
I can not rave about these enough!
Daniel could eat a whole batch all by himself...and frankly, so could I!


HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Bowl#1:
2 cups pastry flour or unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp fine grain sea salt or Real salt

Bowl #2:
1 cup peanut butter (chunky)
1 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tsp vanilla

mini chocolate chips (or starbucks/giradelle) dark chocolate bars chopped up

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together Bowl #1
In separate bowl mix Bowl #2

Stir flour mixture (Bowl #1) into peanut butter bowl (Bowl #2)until barely combined and still dusty looking. Add chocolate chips.

Let sit 5 minutes then stir again with 2 strokes

Heap tablespoon sizes dough ball onto parchment and press with fork.

Place cookie sheets on top 1/3 of oven

Bake 10 minutes DO NOT over bake.

Mini Fruit Pizzas

Someone at work came up with the greatest idea.
It's quite simple: each member of our group has a day every week to bring treats to share after lunch.

Monday is my day.

This week, I wanted to take something light, but of course, sweet.
So this is what I came up with:


A full size fruit pizza is just too messy for work, but individual fruit pizzas, perfect!
(just try not to get them squished on the way there!!)

Cookie Dough:
Cream together 3/4 cup softened butter and 1 cups white sugar. Beat until fluffy.
Next, add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and beat until really fluffy.
Finally, mix in 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Mix really well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour OR overnight.
Roll out onto floured surface (or parchment paper) 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutter.
Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes
*Makes about 16 - 3 1/2" cookies*

Frosting:
Mix 8 oz. Cream Cheese (1 block) with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoon vanilla

Mexican Inspired Crepes

So I just returned from an amazing vacation in Cancun, Mexico with my husband.

Isn't it beautiful?

2 tickets to paradise! - snorkeling, playing in the waves, drinking Pina Coladas on the beach, waiting for our taxi driver to return from making a drug stop
(Yeah. He totally stopped to buy drugs while he was driving us into town! Not to mention he left us in the running car with his 2 year old. He must have had lots of faith we wouldn't kidnap him. or just loved drugs more than his kid. ha)

Anyway, our resort had a crepe bar and Daniel and I hit that maybe 3 or 4 times! They were SO delicious and SO expensive!
At about $9 each you get a crepe the size of a pizza slice filled with Nutella and drizzled with chocolate.
$9!!!
That's like as much as going to Cafe Rio or getting pizza, breadsticks, and sauce at Little Ceasers!
Oh just thinking about how much money we spent on those just KILLS me!

So upon arriving home, I decided to try it out myself. I could probably make at least 20 crepes with $9 worth of ingredients!

They are a lot smaller than what we had in Mexico, but since I don't have a crepe pan, I had to make them in just my ordinary large skillet.

STEP 1:

Wisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 cup water.

STEP 2:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and let cool until it is cool but still melty. VERY IMPORTANT! Wisk into liquid mixture.

STEP 3:

Wisk in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

STEP 4:

Sift in 1 cup flour little by little wisking between additions.

Heat a skillet or large flat pan and lightly grease.
Pour about 1/4-1/2 cup batter onto pan and tip pan around so the batter gets spread in a thin circle.
After about 1-2 minutes, flip.
They should have creamy tan color when done.

Place on plate and top with fruit, Nutella, cream cheese, sugar butter, or even vegetables.
These things are so versitale.

We made some filled with Nutella, and drizzled with chocolate syrup as well as some filled with a strawberry cream cheese filling.

Experiment and let me know what you love best!