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!

BlueBerry Streusel Muffins

So I know that I said last post I wasn't eating sugar... well, sugary treats. I don't feel that this recipe really counts as a sugary treat... so that's why I made it and don't feel one bit bad about eating them. Besides, they have real fresh blueberries in them so they're healthy right?!

This morning I woke up and just had a hankering for something fluffy and sweet. Now these muffins are not quite as sweet as a normal muffin, but they make up for it in fluffiness.

FIRST:
Mix 2 1/3 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
--Set mixture aside--

SECOND:
Cream in a different bowl 1/3 cup sugar and
1/4 cup butter.

THIRD:
Mix 1 egg really well into sugar mixture.

FORTH:
Add the flour mixture to the creamed sugar mixture a little bit at a time, alternating with 1 cup milk; mix really well then add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

FIFTH:
Fold in 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or any kind of berry)

SIXTH:
Drop large spoonfuls of batter into greased or papered muffin cups.

SEVENTH:
In a different bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/3 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
Cut in 1/4 cup butter.

EIGHTH:
Top muffin batter with the streusel mixture and bake at 375 for 25-30 mins.

They are super yummy right out of the oven, but I do really like them when they have cooled and are a little heavier.

This morning I 1 1/2'd the recipe and it made 24 muffins. I seriously ate probably 6 or 7 already... and I'm excited to eat a couple more for breakfast tomorrow, a couple more for lunch, and even a couple more for dinner... they are SO good. THE BEST EVER.
Try them and let me know what you think.

So I'm taking a little hiatus from sugar this month. I guess that makes it hard to make recipes to post for you, But I'll keep thinking, and come up with a dinner recipe. A non-fatty dinner recipe.

But I've done REALLY well though! No sugary treats/drinks/anything for over 2 weeks!
Only 2 more to go!

Why do I do this? TORTURE myself for 30 whole days? 2 reasons really....

1. To see if I could actually do it.
2. We're going to Cancun at the beginning of July.


I think things are going well, except, not having any sugar doesn't make any difference if you eat lots of fatty greasy foods....
Maybe I'll have to try a month going without both and see what that does me.

I've been tempted SO many times. Almost have given in.

But then I just think why would I give in on something other than this?

I can wait for this.

Ice Cream Cupcakes

Ok.

Here, my friends, is THE most divine indulgence ever.

Brownie Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Whipping Cream and Reese Peanut Butter Cups.
I think I should think about giving them a shorter name.



Every 1st Sunday of the month, we give the students in our Sunday School class a chance to participate in "Sunday School Don" -- a review quiz of the past month's lessons.
(don't ask me what the 'Don' is for, I have NO idea)

The winner of this little quiz gets to pick a treat that we bring the next Sunday to share with the class.
Last month, cute Clancy won, but could NOT decide what she wanted! Finally, 2 Sunday's later, I brought these cupcakes. They were a major hit!

I had never attempted anything like them before, but they turned out AWESOME!
I would love to make all different flavors - Chocolate/Mint, Dolce de Leche, Strawberry, Cookies 'n Cream..... I could go on forever!

Step 1:

Mix brownie batter according to directions on box
Preheat Oven to 350 and line cupcake pan with foil liners
Pour 1 TBSP of batter into each cupcake and bake for 6-8 minutes.
When they are done, cool and then place in the freezer.
Take out ice cream to let thaw.

Step 2:

Use a big ice cream scoop to scoop the ice cream into a perfect little ball to plop on the brownies.
I used the kind that has the little scraper inside that makes the ice cream come out easier. It makes perfect mounds.
For 12 cupcakes, you'll use about a quart of ice cream. We used Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream, and Chocolate Brownie Ice cream.
Once, all the cupcakes have ice cream, replace pan in freezer.

Step 3:

Pour about 1 cup of whipping cream into a bowl and use an electric mixer to whip.
Once thick, and forming stiff peaks, add a large scoop of peanut butter and continue whipping.
Oh, throw in about a teaspoon of vanilla and about a 1/4 powdered sugar and mix.

*I love this kind of frosting because it is so light. You can really taste the peanut butter rather than all the thick butter and sugar found in normal frosting.
Step 4:

Pipe peanut butter cream onto cupcakes and top with crushed up peanut butter cups.
Replace in freezer until ready to serve!


WA-LA!
It's over! That's it! You're done!

I wish we had step by step pictures for you, but I guess you'll just have to imagine.
If you make these or a different version, send me a picture! I'd love to see all the different combinations!

Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

It's been too long --TOO, TOO long. I'm sorry. I hope that never happens again.

To ask your forgiveness, I've made you yummy Chocolate Molten Cakes.
They are so delicious and SO SO easy. You will L-O-V-E them!

If these don't do it for you, just wait for next post! I've got quite the surprise!

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

6 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Preheat oven to 425 and butter about 6 cupcake cups.
If you have them, use little souffle dishes or custard cups.
Or you can even use cupcake papers.

Steps:
1. MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large bowl for 1 min. or until butter is melted.
2. Stir with wire whisk to be sure chocolate is entirely melted.
3. Stir in powdered sugar until well blended.
4. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk.
5. Stir in flour.
6. Pour batter evenly into cupcake cups.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Sides will be firm while the centers are soft. Let stand for 1 minute before using a knife around the edges to loosen.

Invert cakes and serve IMMEDIATELY! Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and garnish with berries or maybe even chocolate syrup.

You can reheat the cakes for later, but they are not quite as delicious. The molten insides won't be molten anymore, but they still are just as difficult to resist!



Do you forgive me?