Aebleskivers – Dutch Pancakes

Happy New Year!!!  I hope you have all had an amazing time celebrating with family and friends. We spent the countdown at home this year with our 2 boys.  This was the first year that they actually made it until midnight (or technichally the first year that we haven’t tricked them with the East Coast countdown.. heehee).  We had a fondu night complete with cheddar beer fondu, beef broth fondu (for steak) and my favorite, chocolate fondu with lots of fruit and donut holes for dipping.  It was such a fun night full of games, music and of course food.

Breakfast consisted of bacon, eggs and these delicious gems called Aebleskivers [pronounced eb-el-skee-vers].  These Dutch pancakes do require a special pan if you want to make them round (you can technically just cook the batter flat on a skillet), but if you have the chance to pick one up, you are in for a treat!  I purchased mine (actually my sweet momma bought it for me) from World Market.  I understand William Sonoma and Amazon also sell them.  These are to die for!  They are slightly crisp on the outside and dense yet fluffy on the inside.  Generally, they are served rolled in powdered sugar with some kind of fruit preserves (or Nutella).  You can also just serve with butter and syrup.  I like to pipe preserves or chocolate into the center of the pancake for a little extra wow factor.

Historically, Aebleskivers were made in hammered copper pans but today, the pans are generally made from cast iron or aluminum with a non-stick coating.  You will also want to have something to turn them with.

I used a little wooden stick I had for making caramel apples.  You can also use a chop stick, a fork or even a knitting needle if you really want to do it like  a pro.

These are such a fun treat! They are a blast to make and even more fun to eat.  There are several different recipes online, most call for either yeast or baking powder as the leavening agent.  I can’t wait to try the yeast ones but the baking soda ones apparently require a little less effort.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons sugar

5 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

2 cups milk

4 Tbsp melted butter

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt).  In a separate bowl, whisk butter, milk and eggs together.  Add liquids to dry ingredients until evenly moistened.

Place aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat.  When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water dance, brush pancake cups lightly with melted butter and fill each to slightly below the rim with batter.

Cook for approximately 1 minute then poke your dowel (or whatever you are using) into the center of the batter and pierce the bottom.  Gently pull shell to rotate pancake until about half the cooked portion is above the cup rim and uncooked batter flows down into the cup.

Cook until crust on  bottom of ball is again firm enough to pierce then rotate ball with skewer until ball is closed.  Continue cooking, rotating the ball if needed until the batter in the center is completely cooked.  You will want to pull one of the pancakes apart slightly to test the center.

At this point, you can pipe filling into the center.  Roll in powdered sugar if desired.  Serve warm.

Aebelskivers

• Servings: 6-8
• Difficulty: moderate
• Print

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons sugar

5 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

2 cups milk

4 Tbsp melted butter

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Mix all wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until completely combined.
4. Heat pan on medium-low heat until hot enough to make a drop of water dance.
5. Using a 1/8th measuring cup or ladle, fill each half sphere in your pan almost to the top.
6. Let cook for approx. 1 minute or until a good crust forms on the bottom of the pancake
7. Pierce your skewer into the bottom of the pancake and swipe it up, turning it 1/4 of a turn so that the batter once again fills the half-sphere.
8. Let cook for at least another 30 seconds before turning again to complete the ball.
9. At this point, you will just keep cooking and turning until the inside of the ball is completely cooked (you can test this by poking with a toothpick or splitting one slightly and peeking inside.
10. Remove from pan.
11. Pipe with filling if desired.
12. Roll in powdered sugar.
13. Serve warm.

I found this recipe here http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/danish-pancake-balls-aebleskiver.

 

Baklava

I am so exciting to be blogging right now!  For Christmas, my sweet husband bought me a laptop!  I have been dreaming for years about being able to blog from my couch or kitchen table or even my bed instead of in our chilly office where our family PC currently sits.  I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to bring you first because I have been so anxious to share this recipe with you!  Prior to making Baklava myself, I always assumed that it would be extremely difficult and time-consuming to make.  I was so wrong!  I have made this recipe 2 or 3 times now and anyone who tastes it raves about it and can’t believe that I actually made it myself. It is such a beautiful, delicate treat and it really is not difficult! The hard part is already done for you (the phyllo dough). You just have to slap it in a pan with some butter, nuts, and cinnamon, pour a homemade syrup over the top and voila’! – crispy, chewy, sweet, nutty homemade Baklava.  Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) package phyllo dough (also spelled fillo, filo or phylo)

1 lb chopped nuts

1 cup butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

First, you are going to want to visit your local grocery store freezer section and pick up some Phyllo (sometimes spelled Filo or Fillo) Dough.  It should be in a long rectangular box somewhere near the Cool Whip.  Defrost the dough according to the package directions (in the fridge or on the counter).  It shouldn’t  take too long to defrost.  A pastry brush will also be a necessity for this recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.  Once defrosted, open the box and unroll the dough onto your counter or onto a cutting board.  The dough will be approximately twice as wide as you will need it to be, so you will want to use a sharp knife and cut the length of the rectangle in half, leaving you with two piles of dough that will fit perfectly into your 9×13 pan.  Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth throughout the assembly process so it doesn’t dry out.

Next melt butter in a bowl.  Make sure you are using real butter, not margarine.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan using your pastry brush.

Place 2 sheets of phyllo dough down onto the buttered pan.  Butter the entire top sheet.  Place another 2 sheets of dough on top of the already buttered sheets.  Brush butter on top sheet.  Repeat this step until you have at least 8 sheets (4 layers of 2).

Now you will want to place a mixture of nuts (I used pecans and almonds. Some other good choices are pistachios or walnuts.  Just don’t use peanuts!) into a food processor (if you don’t have one, hand chopping will work, it will just require that you chop them very finely).

Stir in cinnamon.

Sprinkle a light coating of nuts onto the top buttered layer of dough (approximately 1/4 cup)

Place another 2 sheets of dough over nuts and brush with butter.  Sprinkle with another layer of nuts. Repeat dough, butter, nuts for several more layers until you reach the desired thickness.  (Please keep in mind that you will need to save 6-8 sheets for the top layers that don’t contain nuts.  I also had approximately 8-10 sheets of dough left over that I cut in half again and used an 8×8 pan to make another small batch. Feel free to make it as thick as you want it).

Now layer 2 more sheets of dough then brush with butter 3-4 more times to make your top flaky layer.  Brush the top layer with butter.

Using a sharp knife, cut all the way through the Baklava cutting it into triangles.  You can see I cut 4 long rows then cut diagonally and then diagonally again across to make smaller triangles.

Bake at 350 degrees 50 minutes until Baklava is golden and crisp.

While the Baklava is baking, make your sauce/syrup.  Boil water and sugar until dissolved then add honey.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla.

Remove Baklava from the oven and immediately pour syrup over the top.  If you let it cool completely before removing from the pan, it will really stick.  So, when it is still a little warm and pliable, remove each triangle and place in a cupcake liner or parchment paper square.

These make really great teacher gifts, or party hors d’oeuvres – IF you decide after eating one that you even want to share them.

I found this gem of a recipe on allrecipes.com by NEONWILLIE.

 

 

Baklava

• Servings: 28-30
• Time: 1Hr. 20min.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) package Phyllo Dough

1 cup butter

1 lb chopped nuts

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Thaw phyllo dough.  Remove from box and unroll.  Cut in half so that sheets will fit in a 9×13 pan.  Cover with a damp cloth during preparation so it won’t dry out
2. Melt Butter.  Using a pastry brush, butter bottom and sides of  9×13 pan.  Place two sheets of dough flat into buttered pan.  Brush top sheet thoroughly with butter.  Now layer another 2 sheets and again brush with butter.  Do this until you have 8 sheets layered in the pan.
3. Chop nuts finely in a food processor (or by hand).  Stir in cinnamon.  Sprinkle a layer of nuts onto top sheet of phyllo dough (approx. 1/4 cup).  4.  Top with 2 more sheets of dough, butter then sprinkle with nuts.  Repeat these steps several more times until you reach the desired thickness.
4. Top with 2 sheets of dough.  Butter top then repeat this (with no nuts) 3 times until you have 6 sheets (3 layers) of dough on top.
5. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 long strips, then cut diagonally in both directions to make triangles.  Place in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown.
6. While Baklava is baking, make your sauce.  Boil 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar until dissolved.  Add honey.  Simmer for 20 min.  Add vanilla.
7. When baklava is done baking, remove from oven and pour sauce over the top.  Let cool almost completely then remove pieces with a stiff metal spatula while still slightly warm.   Place each individual piece into a cupcake wrapper or parchment square. Do not cover. You don’t want any moisture to build because it will change the flaky texture.  Enjoy!

 

Creamy Fall Vanilla Chai Mix

Nothing says Fall like a cup of creamy spiced vanilla chai.  One of my very best friends got me hooked on this mix many years back and since then, none of the coffee shop chai even comes close.  This is so creamy and has the perfect amount of spice.

I have been working on getting my food processor’s license recently and all of my recipes have gotten shuffled from their usual spaces so I lost the original recipe.  I spent some time yesterday searching for one that looked close and found this one over at https://katskitchen.wordpress.com.  It is almost exactly as I remember the other recipe so I whipped up a batch and am once again in creamy chai heaven. This takes no time at all to whip up and it makes enough to share (if you want to part with it).  You can put it in little jars with a cute label and instructions.  It would make a wonderful Teacher’s gift or Secret Santa gift as well.

Ingredients

1 cup non-fat dry milk powder
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup French vanilla powdered non-dairy creamer
2 cups white sugar
1 ½ cups unsweetened instant tea (feel free to replace with instant coffee for a chai latte or Pero for a caffeine free version)
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
¼ tsp white pepper

Directions

Place all ingredients in a mixer or food processor.  I suppose you could technically stir it all in by hand but the blender breaks the spices up really finely so you get the spice without the grit.

Turn on your blender until the mix is all incorporated.

Place in a jar or container that seals completely to keep moisture out.

Stir approximately 2-3 Tbsp of mix into 8 oz of steaming hot milk.  Shake a little dash of cinnamon on top.  Curl up on the couch with your favorite blanket and book/magazine,  lock the kids outside and take a moment to pause and enjoy the temporary bliss.

*If you want to serve the chai over ice, first mix a small amount of hot milk or water with the mix so it can dissolve, then fill the rest of the cup up with cold milk and ice.  Stir.

Coconut Macaroons – Heaven’s Cookie

Seriously! If there are cookies served in Heaven (how could there not be, right?) – these will be them.  Not only do they come close to being the best thing I’ve ever eaten but they have no butter or oil and only use egg whites so besides a little sugar, they are probably one of the healthier cookies out there.  I only recently became acquainted with coconut macaroons on a summer trip to Denver.  I loved them so much and could not stay away from the little stash my sister-in-law had.  When I returned home, I immediately went on a search for the perfect coconut macaroon.  It only took one shot and I found it.  These are incredibly easy to make and will leave you oooing and awwing with every single bite.  They are slightly crispy on the bottoms and around the very outer layer and just seriously pure chewy heaven on the inside.   I now ensure that I buy coconut every single time I go to the store (in the bulk section)  because these have become a permanent fixture in my cookie jar.   There is one major problem with this recipe, it only makes 12-14 cookies.  Feel free to octuple it 🙂 Enough said.

Of course I always give credit where credit is due… However, my printer was out of ink when I discovered this wonderful recipe, so I had to hand-write it, and now I cannot find it online again for the life of me. I apologize to the macaroon genius who created this beautiful masterpiece.

Ingredients:

3 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup flour

Directions:

In a double boiler, mix egg whites, sugar and salt.  If you do not own a double boiler like me, use a bowl that will fit into a small sauce pan without touching the bottom.  Add about 1/2 inch of water to the bottom of the pan.  The bowl should not touch the water.

 

Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly until it is  thoroughly heated and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Stir in almond extract.  Add coconut and flour.  Stir until incorporated.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or if you are like me and can not stop shoving the dough in your mouth and are afraid it won’t last an hour, just stick it in the freezer until it is cool (15-20 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  I know this is an item that not everyone has in your kitchen.  Don’t substitute wax paper.  Wax paper is not meant for being heated so the wax will melt off and burn and smoke.  If you don’t have parchment and don’t see a trip to the grocery store in your near future, line your baking sheet with foil and grease the foil.  It may change the outcome of your cookie slightly but at least you won’t be scraping chunks of cookie stuck onto your baking sheet. Drop dough by 2 heaping Tablespoons or use your medium-sized cookie scoop for the perfect size and shape.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.

Cool 5 minutes or at least long enough to not singe your tongue because 5 minutes will seem like an eternity.

Serve in a cardboard box shoved way to the back of your pantry where no one else can find it 😉 OR you could double the batch and at least let one other person in on your secret stash.

Fall Spice Carrot Cake

I am so excited to be blogging right now.  I have missed it so much.  As you may have noticed, it has been almost a full year since the last time I posted a new recipe.  Life gets busy for all of us and unfortunately, my blog had to be put on the back burner BUT both of my sweet rowdy boys are in school FULL TIME now! So, blogging is now attainable once again.

I can’t think of a better way to kick off fall and a new year of blogging than a recipe for the best carrot cake on the planet! My hubby and I both love carrot cake but a good carrot cake is hard to come by. This cake is the perfect combination of dense, fluffy, moist, sweet and spicy and is topped with a delicate, creamy cream cheese frosting.  AND it doesn’t have any chunks (pineapple, coconut or nuts), which is the only way I like it .  Obviously, this is not an opinion shared by all, since many restaurants and bakeries DO add the “chunks”.  If you prefer those ingredients, please by all means, add them to this recipe.  It is a great canvas for whatever your carrot cake loving heart desires.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 lb (6-7 medium) carrots, peeled and shredded

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable (I know, took me a few minutes to comprehend that amount of oil :). I have never tried it with this recipe because it is so amazing as is, but you can substitute an equal amount applesauce or at least part applesauce for a healthier version… If you do, please please comment and let me know how it turned out)

Frosting – I doubled the recipe below in order to fill and frost the double layer cake.  If you are just baking the cake in a 9×13, the recipe below should suffice.

8 oz softened cream cheese (I used the 30% less fat [Neuchâtel] cream cheese this last time and it turned out really good, just made a bit thinner frosting than that made with regular cream cheese)

5 T unsalted butter (or salted if you don’t have unsalted on hand), softened

1 T sour cream (I used the low-fat sour cream but if you want the creamier frosting, use regular)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, set aside.

In a mixer bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar and eggs together until frothy.  With machine running, add oil in a steady stream and mix until light in color.

At low-speed, or by hand, stir in carrots and then dry ingredients until no streaks of flour remain.

Prepare parchment paper for the bottom of pans. I always spray the bottom of the pan with non-stick spray first then lay the cut parchment paper into the pan then spray again for extra non-stick insurance.

Pour batter into either two 8″ round pans or one 9×13 pan.  I like to use my finger or a knife to measure the amount of batter in each pan so I don’t get one over-filled.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.  I start with the lowest recommended amount of time or even a few minutes before.  Once the top of the cake no longer looks wet and it doesn’t appear to do any jiggling when I move the pan, I will very lightly touch the center of the cake.  If my fingerprint remains, I add 2-3 more minutes until I can touch it and it bounces back and no indention remains.  Cool on wire rack for a few minutes before removing from the pan.  Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, beat softened cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth. Add vanilla and sour cream.  Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

*Frosting Tips- Place your first cake layer top-side down onto a cake plate.  Place about 1/3 of the frosting into the center of the first layer of cake.  Spread evenly.  Stack the next layer on top of the filling with the flat part (the bottom of the cake) facing toward the top.  This will give you a nicely squared top.  Add the remainder of your frosting to the top of the cake and slowly distribute it, always pushing from the center.  Never lift yourspatula straight up off of the icing.  This will cause the icing to stick to the spatula and pull all of those pesky crumbs off of the cake and into your frosting.  So, work from the middle to the outside and glide back inside again as you take pressure off the spatula then turn the cake plate and again push from the inside to the outside.  Work all of the excess toward the edges of the top of the cake and once you feel you have enough at the edges, then work it down onto the sides, again being careful not to lift the spatula straight up.  Always keep frosting pushing ahead of your spatula. Don’t ever let your spatula touch the cake without a good buffer of frosting in between. Once you get your entire cake covered with frosting, you can smooth it out and make it pretty.

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Pancakes

Maybe I should have called this Pumpkin Month since it seems like it is going to take me a whole month to get around to blogging a weeks worth of recipes.  Thanks everyone for always being so loyal in following my blog even though my life gets busy and I have to put it on the back burner sometimes.  I love blogging so much and wish I had more hours in my day so I could have a daily recipe for you.  Oh well, we do what we can I guess.

It has been so hard deciding which pumpkin recipes to make for this series.  There are so many good ones!  One thing I knew for sure was that I had to blog pumpkin pancakes.  Nothing says fall like pumpkin pancakes on a crisp Sunday morning.  These are super fast to make and are always a huge hit! The beauty of pancake mix is that you can play around with so many different ingredients.  For example, instead of adding pumpkin and spices you can add mashed ripe bananas, cooked oatmeal and cinnamon OR applesauce, oatmeal and cinnamon.  Just always reserve some of the liquid recommended on the package recipe until the very end so you can be sure to accommodate for the extra moisture from the added ingredients.  Pancake mixes are very forgiving so if you find it’s too thick, add more liquid, if it’s too thin, add a bit more mix.

Ingredients:

3 cups Bisquick (or your favorite pancake mix, *see below for tips*)

3 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups milk

***** these are the Bisquick package directions, you will add the following ingredients below to the mix of your choice along with any other ingredients called for on the package directions)

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients.  Add eggs, milk, pumpkin and vanilla, reserving some of the milk (or water) until the end so you can get the consistency you desire.  I prefer my pancakes thick and fluffy, you may prefer to add a bit more liquid for a thinner pancake.

Heat pan or skillet over medium heat for several minutes to evenly heat the pan.  If you start your pan too hot, your pancakes will brown too quickly and result in a gooey center.  Flip when undersides are golden brown and repeat on other side.  Serve with a slab of butter, a dusting of powdered sugar and some real maple syrup…. MMM.. MMM.. MMM! Breakfast is served!

These also freeze well so if you have extras, throw them in a freezer bag and then pop in the microwave for a quick, yummy breakfast.

How exciting! This recipe has been featured on some awesome blogs.  Stop by and check them out!

topdreamer.com/irresistibly-delicious-pancake-recipes/

canopi.com/content/2013/9/25/15-mouth-watering-pumpkin-recipes/

bust.com/10-quick-and-easy-meals-to-make-with-pumpkin-bigpumpkin.html

diycandy.com/2013/09/20-delicious-pumpkin-recipes-fall/?pid=302

http://homeandheartdiy.com/pumpkin-pancakes/

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Pancakes

• Servings: 5-8
• Time: 10 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients:

3 cups Bisquick (or your favorite pancake mix, *see below for tips*)

3 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups milk

***** these are the Bisquick package directions, you will add the following ingredients below to the mix of your choice along with any other ingredients called for on the package directions)

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients.
2. Add eggs, milk, pumpkin and vanilla, reserving some of the milk (or water) until the end so you can get the consistency you desire.
3. Heat pan or skillet over medium heat for several minutes to evenly heat the pan.  If you start your pan too hot, your pancakes will brown too quickly and result in a gooey center.  Flip when undersides are golden brown and repeat on other side.
4. Serve with a slab of butter, a dusting of powdered sugar and some real maple syrup.

 

 

Pumpkin Pillows with Salted Caramel Frosting

I have made several variations of this cookie over the years but I think this is my favorite. Before tasting salted caramel, I was not crazy about the idea, but after I did, I understood what this whole Salted Caramel craze was about.  This cookies are so light and “pillowy” (for a lack of a better word).  The frosting is rich and buttery and those little granules of salt on top break the sweetness slightly and just make the taste peak with perfection.   This is a family favorite of ours and will soon be a favorite in  your family I’m sure.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 can canned pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh puree)

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Caramel Frosting

3 Tbsp margarine or butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp kosher or course sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  In large bowl, beat sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup butter until light and fluffy.  Add pumpkin, vanilla and egg; blend well.

Add flour baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto un-greased cookie sheets.  (I prefer my medium sized-cookie scoop).

Bake at 350 F. for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. I usually touch the top off one of the cookies very lightly to be sure it is firm enough not to leave an indentation. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.  Cool completely.

While cookies are baking, prepare frosting.  In medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons margarine then add 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Bring to a boil.   Cook over medium heat 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Cool 10 minutes.  At this point, it will appear like brown sugar with butter melted into it, only a little darker.  It will not be smooth.  Add milk; beat until smooth (It takes a few minutes to get the brown sugar lumps out).  Beat in enough powdered sugar for a good spreading consistency.

Frost cooled cookies then sprinkle very lightly with kosher or sea salt.  Let stand until frosting is set.

Pumpkin Week! Pumpkin Bread Perfection

Your search for the perfect pumpkin bread recipe is over! This is the epitome of sweet bread perfection.  It is really moist and dense and has a delicious crusty cinnamon-sugar topping….mmmm. I can never wait until fall for my first batch of pumpkin bread.  I usually make some for the neighbors too because it’s just too good not to make a loaf for everyone.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute with whole wheat)

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups pumpkin puree

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together.  I recommend either sifting them or using a whisk to mix them, there are so many spices and additions to the flour that it is a good idea to get it mixed really well.

Add pumpkin, vanilla, vegetable oil, and eggs.  Mix until no streaks of flour are visible. Confession time… I got completely distracted while making this batch (doesn’t take much) and l forgot to put the oil in!  Seriously, who does that? It’s the oil! The bread STILL came out fabulous! It was not quite as moist as usual but I was shocked at how little difference the oil actually made in this recipe.  As a result, your batter will appear a bit thinner than mine in the above pic, unless of course you decide to leave it out too. 🙂

Pour into two greased bread pans (8″).  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar topping over each loaf. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until the top no longer appears wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool on for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool on wire rack until you just can’t stand it anymore and you have to bust into one.

This recipe has been featured on the following awesome blogs.  Stop by and check them out!

justimagine-ddoc.com/food-and-drink/fall-inspiration-pumpkin-recipes/gallery/image/pumpkin-bread-perfection/

http://ladyslittleloves.com/2013/09/pumpkin-streusel-bread-muffins.html

Pumpkin Week!!! Homemade Pumpkin Puree

I can’t wait for each and every recipe I have coming up for you this week.  I am a huge fan of pumpkin everything so I have more than enough FABULOUS recipes to give you a full week’s worth of pumpkin heaven.

With my hubby gone hunting and the rainy season started, the boys and I decided we would head down to our local farm stand and pick up some sugar pie pumpkins for a day full of baking.    They had so much fun getting all of the “guts” out of the pumpkins and separating all of the seeds so we could roast them.

Now, I can honestly say, I cannot taste a HUGE difference in flavor between canned pumpkin and fresh pumpkin puree, but if you are looking for a really fun, cheap fall activity to stock up on puree (which is generally pretty expensive otherwise) for the season, this is definitely worth it the effort.

Ingredients:

1-2 sugar pie (or baking) pumpkins – your local farmer or grocer will be able to point you in the right direction.  They are generally small, round, pretty smooth pumpkins with little speckles on them.
I roasted 2 pumpkins and got 10 cups of puree (which is equivalent to 5 cans of puree) and at $2/pumpkin, it is much cheaper.

Directions:

Cut pumpkin in half, vertically.  These pumpkins are generally pretty firm so be careful.  I find that a bread knife or serrated steak knife work better than my big sharp chef knives.  Cut right up to the stem on both sides then break apart with your hands.  You should then just be able to grab the stem and break it off pretty easily.

Remove the “guts” as my boys would call it.  Be sure to scrap the inside well with a spoon to remove any of the stringy pulp.  Separate the seeds into a bowl and rinse. If you fill the bowl with water, the seeds will float and the pulp will generally sink to the bottom.  Lay on a paper towel to dry.  We will be roasting them later this week 🙂

Line large cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Place pumpkin halves face down on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for approximately 90 minutes or until pumpkins are soft.  As you can see in my pictures, one of my pumpkins cooked much faster than the other so it was extra soft after it was baked.

Cool until you can handle them safely.  The skin of the pumpkin should peel off very easily.  After you have them peeled, cut into chunks and place into a food processor or blender.

Puree until very smooth.  Using a fine mesh strainer, strain excess liquid from puree.  It seems like the puree will just run right through but it won’t.  Don’t force it through the strainer, just let it drain naturally.  Let each batch drain for several minutes. *One of my blog followers recommends in the comments below to let the puree sit in the fridge overnight.  The liquid will all come to the top while the puree sinks to the bottom so if you are not planning on using it right away, this would be a really easy option. *

If you aren’t planning on using all of your puree now, divide it into freezer bags in 2 cup portions.  I like to fold the top of the bag over before I start measuring.  This will keep the top of the bag where you need a good seal from getting all gunky.  Press the excess air from the bag, label bag and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Fall Zucchini Bread

I LOVE FALL! I love everything about fall! I love the crisp foggy mornings, the smell of harvest candles burning throughout my house and  soups simmering on the stove. I love jeans, sweaters and boots especially because they cover my glaringly white skin (there is no  chance of getting any color when you live in the Pacific Northwest). I love the sound of football games playing in the background and my husband yelling at the TV and the “horrible refs ” and the .  Wait, where was I?… Oh yeah, foot ball games playing in the background, open windows and doors, falling leaves and I especially love the smell of all of the fall breads baking in my oven.

I majorly over-did it in my garden this year with the zucchini and squash.  I currently have 3 paper bags overflowing with them and can’t give them away fast enough.  I have frozen about as much as we could ever eat in a year and am still left with 3 full bags and more coming out of the garden! So let’s make some delicious Zucchini bread to kick off fall.

This recipes is wonderful.  It is sweet, spicy, moist and so healthy.  Okay, so maybe not healthy, but it does have veggies in it right? So at least when I eat half a loaf in one sitting I feel better than when I sit and eat a dozen chocolate chip cookies. Let’s bake!

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded zucchini (2-3 medium) – I like to squeeze some of the excess moisture out of my freshly shredded zucchini.

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

1/2 – 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Move oven rack to low position so that the tops of the pans will be in the center of the oven.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottoms of 2 8-inch loaf pans with cooking spray or shortening.  I like using parchment paper because there is nothing more disappointing than turning out your bread only for the bottom half to stay in your pan.  You can also make them into muffins (which I love) for easy individual snacks.  I usually add chocolate chips to the second half of he batch so half can be for desserts and half can be for snacks.

Stir flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, stir zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs until well mixed.  Stir dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips (optional).

Divide batter evenly between 8-inch pans or lined muffin tins (2/3 full).  Bake 8-inch loaves for 50-60 minutes or muffins for 20-25 minutes.  Be sure to keep an eye on the bread as it is baking (especially if you are making the muffins).  Every oven is different and sometimes you might fill your cups more or less than I did so keep your eye on them so you can be sure to catch them at their prime.  You will notice when they near perfection, the tops begin to have cracked look instead of a wet look. Before you go poking holes in your cake with toothpicks, just lightly touch it with your finger.  If it bounces back and leaves no imprint, it is ready to come out of the oven.  If the imprint remains, keep baking.  Again, touch lightly so you don’t make a big dent in your cake.  If it seems pretty firm, press just a little harder to be sure.  This seems to result in perfectly moist breads and cupcakes every time.  Sometimes it is really hard to tell with a toothpick.

Cool in pans on cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on cooling rack.  Cool completely, (yeah right) about 2 hours, before slicing.