"Pumped" for Fall

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Iced Pumpkin Cookies

 

 

Hello hello! This weekend marks the official start of fall. Where the heck did summer go?! I know it's so cliche to say feel like it just flew by this year, even though we say that every year. BUT I really feel like this summer literally flew by! Regardless I am ready and excited for all things falls. Starting with PUMPKINS!

 

I got a few little pumpkins as soon as they were ready at the farm. They are on my steps and with this beautiful fall weather we have been having the past few weeks, they fit right in. So I thought I would make something with pumpkin. I have a few recipes I still have to post but wanted to kick start autumn with this fabulous cookie recipe.

 

These are easy peasy and taste just a sweet little ball of fall. The cinnamon and nutmeg add such warmth and the sweetness of the pumpkin and vanilla icing make the perfect cookie for this time of year.

 

They couldn't be simpler and with just a few ingredients you get this light airy but slightly sweet cookie that is hard to eat just one. So go grab your pumpkin spice latte and get back and make these pumpkin cookies :)

 

 

 

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

makes 24-26 cookies

 

Ingredients

 

Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar- I only used 1 cup and they came out perfect
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. To the butter mixture add the pumpkin, followed by the egg and vanilla.
5. Slowly add the flour to the mixture, and beat until just combined.
6. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet and press down to flatten slightly
7. Bake 15-20 (usually about 15) and remove to chill on a wire wrack.
8. While cookies cool combine glaze ingredients, adding more milk to achieve desired consistency. It should be smooth and thin enough to drizzle over cooled cookies.

 

ENJOY <3

 



Thank goodness for giving thanks!

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Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

w/ cinnamon glaze

Well hello! Long time no blog! So much going on in life right now, but I am back today with a GREAT recipe just in time for tomorrow's day of thanks! One last Pumpkin recipe before we are all on pumpkin overload.

Since it is Thanksgiving I would just like make a list of just some of the things I am thankful for:

• First and foremost, THE MOST AMAZING LITTLE BOOGER IN THE WORLD, my niece Kayleigh!

• My AMAZING friends! 

 

• Cupcakes!

• CAFFEINE!

The opportunities I've had to travel the world!

Art. Painting, like baking and cooking, is therapy to me.

& Wonderful organizations that truly do make a difference, whether big or small. It's good to know there are people out there whose passion is to better the life of someone else.

I could keep listing all the things I am thankful for but I don't want to get too carried away :). I have this great recipe to share with you. You will love it so much that you might add it to your list of what you are thankful for!

Its the perfect change up from your typical Thanksgiving desserts. It is almost a blend of them all into one great cake. You have the flavors of the most popular Turkey Day Pies! Pumpkin, chocolate, and cinnamon & spice (from an apple pie). This is also a pretty big cake so there is PLENTY to share and leftover for getting all sugared up for BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!!!

I haven't decided if I am going yet or not. My family and I decided to just get one gift for one other person this year since most of us children are battling student loan debt (blah!), so I really have no need to join crazies and go shopping, but wouldn't mind taking part in the madness. We'll see :).

Anyway I hope you all have a WONDERFUL and sweet Thanksgiving with those you love and take a moment to realize how lucky you are and to focus on whats good (&great) in the world!

*I am also SO VERY THANKFUL that you take time to read my blog, it means so much to me. Thank you!<3*

MMMM SOOO GOOD! It's not too sweet or heavy, just perfect!



Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake

with cinnamon glaze

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

Ingredients for the Cake:

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (or you can sub in 1 cup of milk whisked with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, this is what I did)
• 15-oz can of  pumpkin puree
• ¾-cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1 egg white, room temp
• ¼ cup canola oil, I used veg oil because it's what I had.
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Glaze:

• 2/3-cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1½ tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and brown sugar.
4. Add in the eggs one at a time.
5. Stir in the oil, honey and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
6. Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached- about 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack, about 1 hour.

Glaze: Beat the confectioner’s sugar, milk and cinnamon with an electric mixer until completely smooth. Once the cake is cool, place it on a serving plate and drizzle the glaze over top. Slice and serve.



Happy Halloweenie!!!!

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Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Whooppie Pie's

w/ Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling

look at the lil devil! he wasn't loving the costume

Happy Halloween! Who doesn't love this holiday?! Seriously I don't know anyone, and if they don't well then they have yet to overdose on candy, wear as little clothes as possible and call it a costume, or be scared out of their pants. They just don't know what they are missing. And how can you hate those classic "Horror" films? I cannot get enough of them.

So in spirit of this haunted holiday I wanted to make something that would be just as great as any piece of trick or treating candy. I found this recipe over at one of my favorite blogs, SugarPlum, and made them literally right after I read the post. I have to admit I lost a few whoopie pies because I didn't remember to spray the cookie sheet with non stick spray, so I lost about 4 whoppie pies but I still ended up with about 10 even though her recipe said I would only get ten whoppie pies total.

I bet you if Micheal Myers showed up to my door I could distract him with these. We could both sit down with a big glass of milk and our whoopie pies and watch the endless marathon of Halloween movies.

If you are at home handing out Halloween Candy to Trick-or-Treater's these are also a great snack for you. It will keep you from eating straight from the candy bowl :).

Anyways these are delicious. Super light and fluffy with a delicious sweet filling with a great hint of cinnamon. And again, my sister still has my camera so since I'm cool now and have an IPhone I downloaded a pretty cool app that lets me edit my pictures to look all vintage-ie.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Whoopie Pies

• 
  1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped finely (optional)

Pumpkin Filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and spray cookie sheets with non stick spray.
2. Using a sharp serrated knife finely chop the dark chocolate.
3. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and sugar until creamy.
4. Add in egg, buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
5. Add in the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
6. Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in flour until just combined.
7. Fold in chopped dark chocolate.
8.  Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets.
9. Bake 8 minutes or until set and slightly crisp and cool 2 minutes before transferring cookies to cooling racks.  

Pumpkin Filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, pumpkin, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined and creamy.
2. Fill cookies with pumpkin filling by spooning filling onto the bottom side of one cookie and topping with another pressing down slightly.



isn't she the absolute most adorable trick or treater, ever?!



It's the great pumpkin (cupcake) Charlie Brown!

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Pumpkin Cupcakes w/Maple Cinnamon Buttercream

Hello hello! I have been seriously slacking at posting lately. Not only has there been birthdays and other event's but I have had a lot more work and to top that I don't have my camera because my sister is borrowing it and she lives hours away so I haven't been able to take pictures of what I have been making. But, since I've been wanting to post these and people keep asking me to (I feel special when people ask me to post something particular, yay me lol)  i decided to use my little point and shot digital. It doesn't do these pumpkin cupcakes justice, but it will have to do.

*Side note*:We have been having some AMAZING October weather and I am loving it. I haven't been home this time of year in 2 years because I was always traveling, but I am just super excited about the changing weather. Normally I am a cry baby when summer leaves but not this time. I could just drive and drive to look at the scenery and although I hate how dark it is in the morning and evening I love the warm sunny afternoons. Its like a little present. Mother nature is rewarding me for waking up before the sun and freezing my toosh off by letting me soak up the warm sun through out the afternoon.

Ok, now that you are thinking that I'm a loony hippie getting all sappy about the weather I'll move on to more important business. My pumpkin cupcakes with maple cinnamon frosting!

If you remember I used the same frosting for the banana fosters cupcake. It goes even better with the spice of this cake. It's like biting into a piece of autumn! Really, it is!

I based my recipe off of Ina Garten's however I altered it to make mine slightly different. But I'm saving that for my secret recipe file, and you will NEVER know my secret.

Mu ha ha ha!!

But really Ina's are fantastic and I love this recipe and so will you.

I will leave you with her recipe and a snippet of The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, just because it fits & I love these movies.

Enjoy<3

Ina Garten's
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
Makes 10-12 cupcakes 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (8 ounces),
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Direction
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & line cupcake tins with foil or paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
4. Top with maple cinnamon frosting.
 

Maple Cinnamon Frosting

• 1 stick butter, softened.
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar, to your preferance
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon maple extract, or real maple syrup.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until fluffy.

1. Add the maple extract and cinnamon.
2. Slowly add confectioners or powdered sugar into the bowl, 1/2 cup at a time and beating after each addition. Continue adding the sugar until you have a thick frosting of your preferred consistency.

 *If the frosting becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or more of half & half/milk to thin out.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

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Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Ok, ok. I know it has been getting much colder lately but I did make this a while back when it was still nice and warm outside. But who only eats ice cream when its warm out? I'll admit I hate being cold and when my little toes are frozen the first thing I think of it not a big cold bowl of ice cream. BUT....that was before I had my own ice cream maker and could make all the glorious concoctions I can imagine!

This ice cream is perfect for the fall and holidays. You can even make a creamy coffee drink by blending this in, or a good old milkshake with it. I prefer it with some whipped cream and extra cinnamon on top!

Anyways, if you have an ice cream machine I highly recommend this ice cream! It has that sweet, and distinct, pumpkin flavor but those warm spices that go so great with it, nutmeg, cinnamon, more cinnamon, ground cloves, maybe a little more, I LOVE cinnamon!

I also melted a little butter and crumbled up some graham crackers and processed them in the food processor until they came slightly together. About 2 minutes before the ice cream was done spinning round, I poured this into the machine and let it mix in just ever so little so that I had  nice swirl rather that it fully mixed into the batter.

This is scrumptious and cozy despite it being freezing cold! It is however best enjoyed the day its made. If left in the freezer too long, say more than a few days, it gets a bit too icy and looses its creamy texture.

So just make sure your friends are over when making this.

Or that you are super bummed and in couch potato mode and need to just dive right in yourself.

Either one. lol.

Well you need to try this! It will change your view of pumpkin if you don't already like it, and if you do you will love it even more! Yay for pumpkins! Go hug a pumpkin for giving us this amazing flavor!



Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream,
• 1 cup pumpkin puree, chilled
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 overflowing teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbs melted butter
• 1 cup crushed graham crackers

Directions

1. In small saucepan or pot with medium heat bring 1 1/2 cups cream and 1/2 cup brown sugar to low boil, stirring occasionally with whisk. Then remove from heat.
2. While waiting for cream to boil, lightly beat egg yolks, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, vanilla and spices together until smooth.
3. Slowly pour egg mixture into hot cream mixture and stir. Bring custard mixture to a nice simmer over a medium-low heat for another 5 minutes, or until custard is thick and coats the back of your spoon.
4. Next, fill a large bowl halfway full of ice water, place a medium size bowl inside, pour in pumpkin puree and gradually pour in hot custard mixture through a fine sieve. Whisk to combine
5. Pour pumpkin custard into a seal-able bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
6. Once refrigerated, pour pumpkin custard into an ice cream maker according to your manufacturers guidelines, usually 20-25 minutes.
7. Within the last 5 minutes, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and mix in food processor with 5 or 6 graham crackers. You can add a little brown sugar too if you want. Pulse a few times until it comes together.
8. At the last 1-2 minutes pour into the ice cream machine, just barely allowing it to mix into the ice cream.
9. Store in an airtight container in your freezer for a few days.

 

Kay booger picking the perfect pumpkin <3

"Pumped" up brownies

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Pumpkin Brownies

I told ya to check back for some glorious fall recipes and this one will not disappoint. I know all the rage right now is APPLES, APPLES, APPLES, and though I actually do have an apple a day, I wanted to try something new.

If you asked me a few years ago, I would have said I don't like pumpkin. However, times have changed and so have my taste buds. I started to like it in tiny little increments. I first made these pumpkin cinnamon rolls, a great Pillsbury recipe, and LOVED them. They had just a hint of pumpkin flavor with a ton of cinnamon that they were hard not like. I than had a piece of pumpkin spice walnut bread and thought hmmm, maybe I'm catching on to this pumpkin thing. Then I just kept going, trying everything pumpkin. Waffles, pancakes, muffins, cake, even pasta. I can now say I am sold on pumpkin.

mmm perfect with some pumpkin spice coffee

So because of this and my new excitement for fall I decided to make these pumpkin brownies. Its not a super fudge type brownie, and I kind of wish they were. I wish I used more chocolate and made them just a little more richer and dense.

Regardless the pumpkin and chocolate make a wonderful match!

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Brownies
Makes 16
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 3/4 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan or dish.
2. Melt chocolate and butter- Either: in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring
occasionally until smooth. Or in a microwave safe dish, heating in 30 second intervals and stirring until melted and smooth.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
4.Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
6. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture
into one bowl. In the other, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
7.Transfer half ofchocolate batter to prepared pan. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer.
8. With a small spatula or knife, gently swirl the two batters.
9. Bake 40 to 45 minutes and let cool in pan on a wire rack.

Optional step 10: Brew a nice hot mug of pumpkin spice coffee and season with half and half and sugar. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice if you have it. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

<3 YUM
ps. a VERY exciting blog post coming VERY soon, yay!!!
p.s.s motivational monday will return next monday :) lol