Pumpkin Ice Cream Sammies

Over the summer I had a love affair with ice cream sandwiches, ok full disclosure, I'm still having a love affair with them. They have been my go to sweet something to snack on at night (I know not the healthiest, but so satisfying to me I don't go back for other treats). In an attempt to bring the Thanksgiving season into my love affair I decided to try my hand at my very own ice cream sammie.

Here it is before a trip in the freezer, which turned it into a solid rock.. whoops. Yeah the whole non fat thing really is a killer when freezing things. So instead just eat this wonderful whipped pumpkin as it should be, cold, but not frozen, and call it a day. Unless you like rock solid hard ice cream, in that case, have a blast :)

This makes a great pumpkin pie sub if you don't have room to bake a pie in the oven, or just don't have to the time. Delicious, fast, and so creamy good :) Serve with graham crackers or gingersnaps on top.

Pumkpin Whippy
recipe from PeepThread
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant butterscotch pudding mix (I used sugar free fat free)
1.5 cups cold milk (I used skim)
1 can of pumpkin
1.5 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups Cool Whip dessert topping. (I used fat free)
optional: crumbled graham crackers, cinnamon sticks, gingersnaps

Combine the pudding mix and milk in a large bowl. Mix until the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the pumpkin, pie spice and vanilla, and fold in the Cool Whip. Pour the mixture into dessert dishes and chill in the refrigerator. Serve with a dollop of Cool Whip or real whipped cream. Optional: top with crushed graham crackers or garnish with cinnamon sticks and ginger snaps.

What's your go to night time snack? Or are you hardcore and don't snack after dinner (I'm so not hardcore)

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Pumpkin Pancakes

More pumpkin! Well think about it, I only used 1 cup in the muffins, so I still had a cup left from the can... enter in pumpkin pancakes for dinner!! I'm all over breakfast for dinner, you should be too, easy, fast, delicious, what's not to love?!


Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
dash salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/4 C. skim milk
1 C. canned pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 T. oil (I used canola)
1 t. vanilla
2 T. agave

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour through cinnamon). In a separate bowl, whisk together milk through agave.

2. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until combined but don't over mix.

3. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into a hot greased pan and let cook until edges start to firm and bubbles start to show up, flip and continue cooking until done.

4. Serve with REAL maple syrup and enjoy!

Do you do breakfast for dinner? What do you love to make? My other favorites are crepes, and taylor ham and eggs! YUM!

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Pumpkin Muffins!

You know it's that time of year. Time to snuggle up under a blanket with a good book, and time to bake up a storm with my best bud pumpkin! What's the best things to start the season off with... of course muffins!!!


I found these over at my friend Sugarcrafter and knew I had to bake some up! Just a few changes from her also delicious as is recipe :)


Pumpkin muffins
recipe adapted from Sugarcrafter
For the muffins:

* 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (she used white whole wheat)
* 1/8 tsp salt (she used 1/2 tsp)
* 1/4 cup brown sugar plus 1/4 cup splenda granulated (she used 1/2 cup packed brown sugar)
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
* 1/8 tsp cloves
* 1 egg
* 1 cup canned pumpkin
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
* 1 cup old-fashioned oats

She made a delicious streusel topping... I just used a mix of maple agave and oats to top mine!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and oats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, milk, and sour cream.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.

Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling each one 2/3 full. Sprinkle with agave oat mixture

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12 muffins.

What are your favorite muffins? Got a link? Let me see! I can always use another good muffin recipe!

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Pumpkin Loaf

While you are all sitting around drooling over this, I'm off in the woods without phone/internet/tv access. Why you might ask?? To meet up with my mom/dad/sister/BIL(brother-in-law)& nephew! They all live down by DC so we are meeting up half way for a long weekend! There will be baking for sure, so stay tuned to see what we all come up with.

Now, lets bring on the pumpkin!!! I must say I love anything involving pumpkin, and to me, it doesn't matter what time of the year it is, I'm always craving pumpkin. I made this loaf to bring with us to a friends house for the superbowl. Said friend isn't into using splenda so I made sure to leave it out of this recipe. Instead I used organic sucanat compliments of Wholesome Sweeteners.


Pumpkin Bread
recipe by steph chows

In a medium bowl whisk together dry (then set aside):
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

In a large bowl cream together:
3 tbs butter (softened)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup sucanat

Then beat in:
2 eggs (one at a time)
1/3 cup fat free plain yogurt (look at the label, buy a brand with the least amount of sugar in it)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Gently mix dry into wet and pour into a greased 8.5 x 4 loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, or until a tester comes out clean.




PS. I have another great giveaway set up for this Friday, so check back, you're going to want to enter!

Pumpkin Pizzelles

So today is the last day to vote for me to go onto the next round of project food blog! If you want to read my post and vote for me, go here! (update: voting now closed!)


Seriously now, why hadn't I thought of making these before? Earlier this week I received an email from an awesome lady Donna who was looking for a pumpkin pizzelle recipe. She had a recipe but it wasn't working out right, instead of nice and crisp the cookies were coming out a little soft and chewy. I went home that night and started experimenting. The best part is the pumpkin cuts the butter used in half... so not only are there things AMAZING, they are healthier for you. Double bonus!


Pumpkin Pizzelles
recipe by steph chows

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter (4 Tbs) (melted)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
dash nutmeg

BEAT eggs, add sugar gradually, add melted butter and pumpkin

MIX flour, baking powder, and spices in a small bowl

ADD dry mixture to wet gradually

DROP spoonfulls on a hot pizzelle iron and cook according to iron instructions (mine has a light that goes on and off when they are done) remove and cool on a wire rack, or roll into ice cream cone shape and set aside to cool.

Pumpkin Banana CC Cookies

So this pumpkin shortage thing is rather annoying... I love baking with pumpkin!! I wanted to make some of these pumpkin CC cookies I made recently... but I only had 1/2 cup of pumpkin left in the freezer... what's a girl to do?? Sub in a banana for the missing 1/2 cup of pumpkin! The end result was a banana pumpkin hybrid cookie! Pretty darn tasty :) I'll be making them will all banana next time... unless this darn shortage is done with!

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe by steph chows

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
dash salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup splenda granulated plus 1/4 cup white sugar... OR (3/4 cup white sugar)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 ripe banana mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips, or any chip you like

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicon baking mats.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar/splenda until smooth and lightened in color. Then mix the apple sauce, pumpkin, mashed banana, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.



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Pumpkin CC Cookies!!!

First off, there are 24 of us taking part of the cookie exchange woowooo!!! I sent out an email with your partners yesterday... so if you think you signed up... and didn't get an email... email me ASAP at stephchows at gmail.com Thanks everyone!!!

OK now back to those pumpkin chocolate chip cookies... WOW, just WOW. These are a new favorite for sure!! I adapted them from Joy the Baker, who adapted them from a cookbook. We all know what I did by now, got rid of most of the fat, subbed in whole wheat, and lowered the sugar some... and even with all that fiddling... tasty tasty tasty!!

Seriously, just look at these??? The recipe says to make them 1/4 cup big... which made them somewhat like soft muffin tops (not complaining one bit) The smaller ones were fun too though. I made a half dozen with sweetened coconut pressed into the tops before baking... good call steph... good call!!


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
dash teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup splenda granulated plus 1/4 cup white sugar... OR (3/4 cup white sugar)
2 Tbs melted butter (OMG I used butter!! LOL)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips, or any chip you like

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicon baking mats.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar/splenda until smooth and lightened in color. Then mix the apple sauce, melted butter, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

I heart Pumpkin Pie

Well you all know I love pumpkin... as evident by all of the baked goods involving pumpkin that I have made. Pumpkin pie can be a total belly bomb, butter, half and half, buckets of sugar... say it aint so!! You all know by now we don't need all those things to make a good pie right?? I decided to make a few small pies this weekend... why? Because I saw this recipe for no roll pie crust on Joy the Baker's blog. It involves using a cheese grater and frozen butter... and a dash of cream cheese? Doesn't it just sound FUN!? I had to try it straight away.

The pie however wasn't the most photogenic subject... and I was bringing it to John's parents house so I couldn't slice out a piece to take pictures of... sorry folks this is all you get. Yes that is a heart shaped pan... kinda looks like a deformed kidney...


Ok enough of my bad photography... I really need to set up a mini photo studio... maybe once John and I get married... I'm planning on putting one in the basement bonus room (and yes it's also going to be a sewing/craft room - and yes I know I'm a dork)... I just need to build a light box... and umm buy lights... right.

Onto the recipe. I made this filling along side a full fat, full on filling version last Thanksgiving... I didn't tell the family which was which... and guess what? They picked the skinny version as the better of the two!! Take THAT half and half!!

I think you should all go home and make some pie... no need for a special occasion! You can make this filling without a crust for a total skinny pie or use a graham cracker crust (yum), or go to your own pie crust recipe. For this I used Joy's no roll recipe> here. I've used the crust recipe below in previous pie baking extravaganzas.

Born Again Pumpkin Pie
recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

1/4 cup crushed gingersnaps
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons margarine, melted (I used a little more than 1 Tbs of butter)
1 16-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
1 cup evaporated skim milk

Directions
1. In a 9-inch pie plate, combine gingersnap and graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and flour; drizzle with melted margarine and mix with a fork. Using your fingers, pat crumbs to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Chill about 1 hour or until firm.

2. In a mixing bowl combine pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Blend in egg product with a rotary beater or fork. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour in prepared pie shell. Cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until center appears set when shaken. Cool on wire rack; cover and chill to store. Makes 8 servings.

Pumpkin Ginger Spice Granola by Jeanne

Jeanne and I met about a year ago, it was for a cookie and ornament exchange (totally fate bringing us together). Here is what she sent me. She is seriously the most genuine and kind person you will ever meet, and I'm so excited to say I'll be meeting her in person in a little over a month!!! (she lives in SF and I'll be there for the foodbuzz festival) Over the past year we've had so much fun exchanging emails and realizing more and more how much alike we are! Same birthday (1 year apart), curly hair, the love of baking something for someone who isn't having a good day, crochet/knit crafty stuff, our love of the outdoors! We are like two peas in a pod, twins one might even say! So now I turn it over to Jeanne and her amazing granola!!

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Back at the beginning of September Steph did a post about pumpkin muffins and although I didn't realize it at the time that's what inspiring this recipe. All I remember thinking is, "Pumpkin? Already? Does that mean that summer is over?" (Really. Check the comments.) And although part of me was sad to see summer go, I started to get excited about autumn food. Who doesn't love a good squash?

And so without really realizing why, I started to look for a new pumpkin recipe to try. Before now I've made pumpkin muffins, pies, cakes, pancakes, cookies, soups and... I even made a chili once. (It was gross. I don't recommend it.) But as I considered all these recipes, none of those seemed quite right for what I wanted to make.

Then one morning over a bowl of Trader Joe Ginger Granola, wondering when the TJ pumpkin granola would hit the shelves, I came up with the best idea: I'd make my own Pumpkin Granola recipe! So I did! I scoured the internet, learning how to make granola. Then I threw in all of my favorite ingredients.

And I loved the result! I cut the sugar way down, so it's not overly sweet like the granola you get in the store, but the hint of pumpkin, the kick of ginger and the delicious spice make this the perfect thing to start a fall morning. I loved it so much that I wanted to share it!

That's where Steph comes in. She's graciously allowed me to share it with you. I sent her the recipe a while back. Her response? "I like candied ginger... but that seems like a TON! lol candied ginger in my breakfast granola... I don't know... "


Trust me Steph. It's fab. In my opinion, it's not enough candied ginger!
But that's up to you. The great thing about granola? You can make tons of substitutions and I'm sure it'll still turn out okay. But, this is what I did:


Pumpkin Ginger Spice Granola
Preheat oven to 325F.

Mix the dry ingredients.
2 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats
2 Cups Steel Cut Oats (If you don't have this, just use rolled oats)
1 Cup Almonds, coarsely chopped or slivered
1 Cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
2/3 Cup Crystallized Ginger, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/2 tsp Allspice

Add in wet ingredients:
16 oz Pumpkin Puree
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Oil
Mix until thoroughly combined and everything is moist. Put mixture on cookie sheets and bake for a total of 1hr. Stir mixture every 10-15 minutes.

When 10 min remain in cooking time, add:
1 Cup Golden Raisins

Take it out of the oven and ... don't chow. Sorry. Wait for it to cool and store in bags/Tupperware. After a day has gone by the flavor settles and it's TONS better. So it you can resist eating what has created the amazing smell in your kitchen wait 'til the next morning.
Then (just for you Steph) CHOW!

Pumpkin Donuts

Things I learned making these:
Me and pipping bags = total incredible mess
I can never find the pipping bag tips when I need them = even larger mess
It's more fun to make blobby shapes instead of perfectly smooth circles

John loved these things, I think he ate 4 in a row, no joke. I'm going to try to make them in cake form... just pour all the batter into a large pan and bake them that way... then use a cookie cutter and make fun shapes! Sounds fun huh! And no pipping bag required :D Let me tell you the truth though... they don't really taste like donuts... more just like pumpkin bread... either way... TASTY!


Fat free Pumpkin Donuts
Adapted from here

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (3/4 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp cloves + 1/4 tsp ginger + 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
dash salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 teaspoons milk

Directions
In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice (or individual spices), salt, and baking soda.

Add pumpkin, eggs, milk; beat with an electric mixer on low speed till mixed. (kinda weird and made a flour cloudy mess... I'll probably do this in a separate bowl next time, then add it)

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip with a 1/2-inch opening.

Pipe onto 2 greased baking sheets in 3-inch circles.

Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 10- 12 minutes, or till golden brown.

Cool donuts on a rack.

FOR ICING: In a small mixing bowl stir together powdered sugar and vanilla.
Stir in enough milk to make a smooth icing of glazing consistency.
place rack with donuts over waxed paper.
Brush icing over donuts with pastry brush, or spoon over surface.

Or toss the warm donuts in a bag with some powdered sugar to cover... serve soon, otherwise they just absorb the sugar haha... the next morning they were no longer white.

Nutritional facts are without any toppings

Struesel topped pumpkin muffins

Last week it was HOT, HUMID, and just plain gross out... fast forward to this week. It got down into the 50's last night, and didn't even hit 70 during the day. I went from hiking in the ADK in a sports bra to wearing jeans and a light jacket and still being cold wa-wah??? This sudden snap of cold (plus the pumpkin cinnamon wall plug in my roommate just put in the other day) are seriously making me crave fall foods! I'm blaming Steph and her bath and body works plug in air freshener for this recipe :D Have you ever smelled one of those things? It's like fall hits you in the face when you open the door! It's wonderful if you ask me... but man does it make me want to bake!


This is perfect for an on the go breakfast or for a weekend brunch... or snack time... ok seriously these things are pretty much good to go no matter when you eat them! I was going to make this in a loaf pan but hey it's been awhile since my last muffin recipe... so I know you are all itching for a new one right?? :D



Struesel topped pumpkin muffins
by steph chows

First make the topping and set it aside
In a small bowl mix
2 Tbs pumpkin puree
2 Tbs Honey

Then stir in
2/3 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp cinnamon


OK now lets make the muffins you will need:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup granola
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs dark brown sugar (use 1/4 - 1/3 cup if you want a sweeter muffin)
3 Tbs pumpkin
1 egg
1 cup skim milk plus 2 Tbs dry milk solids (powdered milk) mixed together

In a medium bowl stir together
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup granola
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

In a larger bowl stir together
3 Tbs dark brown sugar (use 1/4 - 1/3 cup if you want a sweeter muffin)
3 Tbs pumpkin

Then beat in
1 egg
Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture stir until smooth Then add 1/2 of milk mixture, stir until smooth. Add the rest of the dry ingredients, stir until smooth. Add the rest of the milk and stir until smooth.

The batter will be VERY liquid (no worries)

Pour batter into 12 greased muffin tins. Use your fingers and sprinkle the struesel on each muffin.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

CHOW!!!

Pumpkin with a Passion

Can one really ever have too many pumpkin cinnamon rolls? Yes, probably... oh well, I made these again, and they are just too darn tasty and pretty not to talk about :) This time I added hazelnuts to the filling and sprinkled some on top... Totally a good idea :)

Did you say VEGAN cinnamon rolls?

Yes I know I've posted about these before... but they are just SO good!! And I keep playing with the recipe so... I had to post again! Plus now you can make a vegan version! AND instead of using flour to cover your working surface I used powdered sugar and eliminated the sugar from the dough! I know fun idea right? It gives them a sweeter taste and makes it so you don't have to add more flour to the dough.


Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: 8

These cinnamon rolls are an adaptation/abstraction based on a recipe from the cook book Quick Recipes which was put together by the people at Cook's Illustrated.

Filling / topping
1/4 c packed splenda blend brown sugar (or 1/2 c packed dark brown sugar)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c pumpkin puree

Dough
2-1/2 c whole wheat flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c lactaid (fat free) (you can use regular fat free milk if you don't care if these are vegan, it works) (so just realized lactaid isn't vegan... I'll have to try again with soymilk! sorry about that!)
2 T melted smart balance ( 2 Tbs butter also works )
powdered sugar for work surface

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a 9-inch round non stick cake pan (or in my case a square one)

Make filling
Combine sugar, spices and salt. Add pumpkin puree and stir until combined, set aside

Make dough
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. whisk lactaid and 2 Tbs melted smart balance in a measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy). Transfer dough to lightly floured (with powdered sugar!) work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.

Pat dough with hands into 12 x 9- inch rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2 inch boarder of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough.

Using bench scraper (i used a plastic spackle spatula that we bought at home depot and never used... I claimed it for the kitchen... John wasn't too pleased hahahaha), loosen dough from work surface. Starting at a long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch seam to seal.

Roll log seam side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place.

in the pan before they get slathered with more pumpkin

Place one roll in center of pan, then place remaining seven rolls around perimeter of pan. They should touch, but not be crammed. Using the remainder of the filling, spread to cover the top of the rolls.

Bake until edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. Loosen with a spatula. without separating, slide buns out of pan onto greased cooling rack. Cool about 5 minutes before chowing, otherwise you'll burn yourself... i would know :)

chow!

Pumpkin & Pesto Pinwheels

Pumpkin & Pesto Pinwheels?? Yeah try and say that three times fast... go ahead I'll wait :)

Happy Martin Luther King Day! I'm off in the Poconos right now celebrating "late christmas" with my family... hopefully off on a ski slope carving out a fresh trail! I couldn't leave you guys hanging though so I figured I'd leave you with some chow to drool over.


Don't these just look delicious?? I found these over at Foodalogue and had to make them!

I used whole wheat pizza dough I bought at the grocery store. Rolled a chunk of it out, plastered pumpkin puree, turkey bacon & sage on one half; pesto, parmigiana & mozzarella on the other half, rolled it up, and tossed it in the freezer. An hour later out it came to slice up and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.


It was a delicious snack that was devoured very quickly. I'd make these again to serve as an appetizer, or keep a roll on hand in the freezer for impromptu guests, and snacking.

Chow!

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

So for those purist out there... stop reading... cause this uses a cake mix. *gasp*! You know what, I'm all about doing it from scratch, but sometimes, like when it's thanksgiving and you are already making 4 other desserts, a little shortcut is a nice thing. This comes straight from Kraft... who I really don't like as a company... but they did have a tasty recipe so... oh well. Oh I did change a few things to lighten it up a bit (not as much as usual since Mom was watching over my shoulder saying "oh just follow the recipe and put the oil in!" haha), you'll see my slight changes below.

This cake looked amazing, so pretty! And it wasn't bad at all to make. I made the cakes the day before Thanksgiving, then whipped up the topping the day of and assembled it. The cake was a hit with everyone and I would totally make it again. However I may try my own homemade cake recipe next time.

Enjoy!

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup oil (I used 1/4 since Mom looked away)
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP fat free Whipped Topping, thawed
1/4 cup Chopped Pecans

HEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round baking pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP.

CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer - I totally frosted the top... yum.) Sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

MMMMM now I want some cake...

Pumpkin cinnamon rolls with hazelnut cream cheese

So I made these pumpkin cinnamon rolls a little while back and everyone went nuts over them, they are one of my most visited recipe pages! (I need to add it to the readers favorites list in the right column) Anyway I had wanted to make them again except roll the dough out thinner and double the filling... so I did, and then we spread hazelnut cream cheese on top.... AMAZING!!!

Here's the new fangled version of the recipe!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: 8

These cinnamon rolls are an adaptation/abstraction based on a recipe from the cook book Quick Recipes which was put together by the people at Cook's Illustrated.

Filling
1/2 c packed splenda blend brown sugar (1 c packed dark brown sugar)
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c pumpkin puree

Dough
2-1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 T splenda baking blend (2 T granulated sugar)
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/4 c buttermilk
2 T melted butter
1 T melted butter (to drizzle on top)

Icing
I used hazelnut cream cheese from Panera... YUM!


Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a 9-inch round non stick cake pan (I used a silicon cake pan and it worked great, no spray needed)

Make filling
Combine sugars, spices and salt. Add pumpkin puree and stir until combined, set aside

Make dough
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. whisk buttermilk and 2 Tbs melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.

Pat dough with hands into 12 x 12- inch square. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2 inch boarder of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough.

Using bench scraper (i used a plastic spackle spatula that we bought at home depot and never used... I claimed it for the kitchen... John wasn't too pleased hahahaha), loosed dough from work surface. Starting at a long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch seam to seal.

Roll log seam side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place.

Place one roll in center of pan, then place remaining seven rolls around perimeter of pan. They should touch, but not be crammed. Drizzle with 1 Tbs of melted butter.

Bake until edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. Loosen with a spatula. without separating, slide buns out of pan onto greased cooling rack. Cool about 5 minutes before icing.

CHOW!

Pumpkin Butter

I like making Christmas presents... there I said it, you can make fun of me now... or get very excited since you do it to. There seem to be two groups of thought; those who laugh at you when you say you're "making" your gifts, and those who want to know all about what you are making so they can make it to :) Well I can't give all my secrets away since my extended family does read this blog but here's a spoiler... extended Snow family stop reading if you don't want to spoil a surprise... oh wait I made the title of this blog the spoiler didn't I... hahaha


I'm giving people pumpkin butter as part of their gifts this year!! YUM!!! The recipe was super easy to make, and a quick trip in the canning jars and a quick boil seals them all up and are ready to go! You can also make this in a smaller batch whenever you are craving some and keep it in the freezer or refrigerator. The original recipe called for 2 tsp ginger... I did that and it was WAY to strong for my taste, so added a bunch more cinnamon to balance it out. Next time I'll only do 1 tsp ginger like I wrote up here. I also didn't cook this so it was super thick, I wanted a slightly fluffier consistency which I think tastes great on toast or a nice bagel. YUM

Pumpkin Butter
adapted from Polka dot Moon

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple cider
1 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups white sugar (i bet using maple syrup instead of white sugar would taste amazing too! not sure how much you'd need though, you'll have to experiment and let me know!)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
swig of Amaretto

DIRECTIONS
Combine pumpkin, apple cider, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.
Place in jars and boil process and cool to seal them. Or just stick it in some plastic containers in your refrigerator or freezer.

Chow!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls that are Ewwwey Gooey... and healthy?? wait what? really? can it be?

yes, yes it can... read on to find out how :) Oh and did I mention they are totally super easy to make??? awesome.

John's mom has been hinting to him that she misses getting to eat my various baking creations. *guess it's been a bit since I've brought something over... woops!* so this past weekend I figured it was time to whip something up for his mom and pops. She had made mention at one point that she likes cinnamon rolls, so I decided to give them a try... why is it I always try out recipes on his parents?? I've been lucky to not have any bombs yet haha.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: 8

These cinnamon rolls are an adaptation/abstraction based on a recipe from the cook book Quick Recipes which was put together by the people at Cook's Illustrated.

Filling
1/4 c packed splenda blend brown sugar (1/2 c packed dark brown sugar)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c pumpkin puree

Dough
2-1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 T splenda baking blend (2 T granulated sugar)
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/4 c buttermilk
2 T melted butter
1 T melted butter (to drizzle on top)

Icing (I made 1/2 of the icing to put on top instead of the whole thing)
2 T cream cheese, softened
1 T buttermilk
1 c powdered sugar


Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a 9-inch round non stick cake pan (I used a silicon cake pan and it worked great, no spray needed)

Make filling
Combine sugars, spices and salt. Add pumpkin puree and stir until combined, set aside

Make dough
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. whisk buttermilk and 2 Tbs melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.

Pat dough with hands into 12 x 9- inch rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2 inch boarder of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough.

Using bench scraper (i used a plastic spackle spatula that we bought at home depot and never used... I claimed it for the kitchen... John wasn't too pleased hahahaha), loosed dough from work surface. Starting at a long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch seam to seal.

Roll log seam side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place.

Place one roll in center of pan, then place remaining seven rolls around perimeter of pan. They should touch, but not be crammed. Drizzle with 1 Tbs of melted butter.

Bake until edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. Loosen with a spatula. without separating, slide buns out of pan onto greased cooling rack. Cool about 5 minutes before icing.
Making icing and finish
Set rack of rolls over foil-lined baking sheet (for easier clean-up). whisk cream cheese and 1 Tbs of buttermilk in large bowl until thick and smooth. sift powdered sugar over. whisk until smooth glaze forms - add up to 1 additional Tbs of buttermilk if too thick. spoon glaze evenly over the buns. Serve warm, they dry out a bit after they cool, so eat them all up warm! :)

Next time I think I would double the filling and roll the dough out thinner so I got more spirals :)

chow!

Pumpkin Bran Muffins with Jam Centers

This month for cupcake hero the theme is squash! As you know I made spaghetti squash muffins last night they were good but these are even better!! yum!! So I'm putting these up for the cupcake hero vote! As for the jam I used in these, you'll have to bribe April or myself for the jams... both are super tasty :)

pumpkin bran muffins... i mean cupcakes... with jam centers
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
dash salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup bran flakes (i like to do 3 big handfuls, crumble them in your hand before filling with next handful)
1/4 cups splenda brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree -- fresh or canned
about a 1/4 cup really good jam (i used home made raspberry jam made by yours truly, and a peach vanilla bean made by the wonderful April from abby sweets!)

mmmm close up

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 convection). Spray muffin tins with non-stick oil. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. In separate bowl, beat together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, and the egg. Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Beat well, until smooth. Stir in crushed bran flakes. Fill muffin tins two-thirds full. Make a little dent in the middle and fill with a dollop of jam. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean.

mmmmmmmmmmm I love pumpkin... yum

chow!

i'm making myself hungry with all these close ups!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

So I'm officially moved into my new townhouse! (pictures to come) After way too many trips back and forth between east ave and our new place... we are done!! Wooohooo! We spent the last two weeks hauling loads of stuff and are almost all the way unpacked. I decided to take last night off from unpacking to break in the new kitchen! I was perusing a new blog I just discovered Megan's Munchies, she's obsessed with pumpkin... a woman after my own heart! Since the autumn weather is slipping in, (how did it go from 80's to 50's in a week???) I've been craving autumn style foods. There were a ton of things I wanted to make from her blog but I decided on the pumpkin choclate chip brownies and man were they good!

Super fast to whip up and amazingly moist and chocked full of spicy flavors! mmmmmm Maybe I'll go have another slice now :D

how seriously cute is that mug... maria got it for me from anthropology... love that store!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1/3 cup brown sugar blend (such as SPLENDA)
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Baking Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Spray 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.COMBINE pumpkin, sugar blend, egg, egg whites and oil in large mixer bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, salt and nutmeg. Beat on low speed until batter is smooth. Stir in morsels. Spread evenly into prepared pan.BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares.

I used a loaf pan since I couldn't find a square 8" or 9" wooops. Still tasty though!

Chow!