Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

This recipe came thru in an email from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and I was in the mood for muffins...and here we are. Really good and really easy. Done.

She has a good tip that I haven't tried before - if you don't have pumpkin pie spice (or don't want to buy it for the one time a year you're probably going to use it) you can make your own by mixing together 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves = 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. Good to know!

Muffins:

• 3 large eggs
• 15 oz. can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup no-sugar added applesauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour if you want)
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract (note: I don't have maple extract and just used a bit of maple syrup to get the maple flavor. Adjust how much cream you need accordingly). 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 375'. Line 2 standard muffin tins with paper liners and set aside (24 muffins total). Note: my muffins stuck to the liners, I would grease the muffin tins instead)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, oil, applesauce and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined (don't overmix)
5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins, filling the cups about 2/3 of the way full.
6. Bake for approx 15 minutes until the top of the muffins spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
7. Remove from the tin to a cooling rack to cool completely.
8. For the glaze, whisk together the glaze ingredients, starting with the lesser amount of cream and adding more as needed to make a pourable, but still thick, glaze.
9. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins with a spoon or fork, and serve. 

one year ago: make a wine cork pumpkin

two years ago: pumpkin gingersnap trifle

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Pumpkin Bread

I have been making this exact pumpkin bread recipe since I was a kid, I still use the recipe card that I wrote it out on from when I was young - judging by the handwriting I'd say I was 10ish!  Simple quick bread, makes 3 loaves which is nice if you want a big batch recipe (I kept one and gave away two; or wrap the extras tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and seal in a gallon size freezer bag). The only thing I do differently from the recipe is to bake for about 10 minutes less, add a little more spice*, and sometimes I top with natural coarse sugar before baking.

3 cups white sugar (plus extra for topping if desired)
1 cup oil (my recipe is so old it calls for "salad oil")
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon *
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour

coarse sugar for topping, optional 

Mix all in a big bowl until blended. Divide into 3 greased bread pans. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if you want. Bake 350' for approx. 50 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out pretty clean.

I gave some to Janis and Patty; Patty called me the next morning and said hers was gone and she loved it, and to "never change the recipe". I didn't tell her that I've been making this for 40 years and am not going to change it now hahaha!!

*I've been upping the spice amounts - 2 1/2 t. cinnamon, 2 1/2 t. nutmeg, 1/2 t. ground ginger; and white granulated sugar on top is also good, it makes the top crackly. 

Funky Pumpkin Decorating...starring Brooke

Lisa sent me inspiration pictures for this project, she found cute crazy funky decorated pumpkins in a store and thought of me - love that, thanks Lisa! She sent a few examples and Brooke loved the idea so much she wanted to make one - watch the cutie show you how she did it:




I have been helping out my friend Ronda at her Stampin' Up studio (lots of punching, using the Big Shot die cut maker thingy, stamping, etc.)  - she has the idea for me to work on setting up a "seasonal display" area in her shop so I've been busy thinking about fun crafts to use in the display. This pumpkin turned out so cute I want to include it but Brooke used old paper that I've had forever to make her pumpkin and since this will be in the Stampin' Up studio I wanted to use current scrapbook papers so quickly remade the pumpkin...also full disclosure, the tape Brooke used didn't hold the buttons on the pumpkin and they fell off! You can still make it using her directions but use a different form of glue for any heavier things. This is my finished product:

I bought a standing flat wood pumpkin at the craft store for about $3. Trace the pumpkin shape onto whatever paper you want the base to be, and glue it to the pumpkin form. I randomly cut a triangle for the nose and a jaggedy mouth, make whatever shapes you want. I reused the stacked buttons held together with twine that Brooke made, and for the right eye I glued a large flat bottomed marble over a different piece of paper. Burlap ribbon is tied on the top to finish. Super fast and easy - maybe took 10 minutes top. Gotta like that :)

pumpkin nutella cookie bars

Mimi 🍰:

I GOT YOUR BOX!!!!!

Omg it smells so good! 

Omg. Stuffed w Nutella. Omg omg omg so delicious 

The fricken best thing ever

         They're great!!!!! So so good. Thank you so so much!

That's the text my niece sent after she got these pumpkin nutella bars in the mail from me - a few weeks ago she sent me a pin from Pinterest with a note that she hoped they would come in the mail hahaha. So I thought I'd do just that for her.   If any of my other nieces want something in the mail they should let me know ;)

Shipping them was easy - remove the entire baked thing from the pan by lifting the foil out and leave them whole instead of cutting up into bars, wrap tight in more foil and bubble wrap and then put in a priority box. It took 3 days for her to get them and she said they were still all in one piece and super moist - this is a winner recipe for sure!

I (for once) didn't change a thing - found the recipe here at crazy for crust. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup Nutella

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350'. Line a 9x9" pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Place melted butter, pumpkin, and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer if you prefer). Mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in egg yolk, baking soda, salt, spices, and vanilla. Mix in flour until batter is smooth. It'll be a soft batter.

3. Press half the batter in the bottom of the pan. The batter is sticky so you may want to spray your hands with cooking spray. It'll be a thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

4. Place Nutella in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for just a few seconds until pourable. Pour evenly over the top of the partially baked crust. Spread it carefully so it doesn't rip the cookie bars. Scoop tablespoons of batter of the top and carefully spread with your fingers. It won't be a smooth layer but will mostly cover.

5. Bake an additional 17-20 minutes until the top is no longer glossy and the edges are golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

6. Makes 16 bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. 

Homemade Dog Cookies

Of course I'm not going to forget about my furry "nieces and nephews"  - they need a Christmas gift too!

These are pretty easy to make - it's a quick dough made from normal ingredients that I had on hand (except the wheat germ) that you roll, cut out, bake, and can even personalize (although I chose not to - the recipe calls for cream cheese mixed with flour to pipe names on the cookies but I am shipping these and don't think the cream cheese is going to hold it's shape in the mail. I did add "frosting" to the tops of a couple stockings before realizing it's not practical for me to send them that way).

I thought I had a bone shaped cookie cutter but I don't - so made big stockings, medium scotties, and small stars instead. This recipe made a lot of cookies!

I packaged them in these ziplock gift baggies that I found at a dollar store and will get them out in the mail tomorrow. I better have Sarge taste taste them though before I do :).

Click here for the recipe from All You Magazine.

2/2024 UPDATE: once again the link to a recipe I posted stopped working - I think I learned my lesson in later years to not just link the recipe but to also print it! I cannot find the original recipe I followed but this  different one I found on myrecipes seems right:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• ¾ cup toasted wheat germ 
• ¼ cup brewers yeast 
• ⅓ cup natural chunky peanut butter 
• 1 large egg 
• ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth 
• 3 tablespoons canola oil

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large shallow baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Combine the flour, wheat germ and brewers yeast in a medium bowl. Whisk together the peanut butter, egg, broth and oil in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until a rough dough forms. Knead the dough in the bowl 5-6 times until it comes together.
  
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 1/4-inch thickness. With a 3-inch dog bone shaped cookie cutter, cut out treats and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Press all the scraps together, kneading once or twice, then roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out more treats; repeat if necessary.
  
• Bake treats until lightly browned and fairly hard, rotating the pans from top to bottom once, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely; biscuits will harden as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Trifle

My niece Macey doesn't really like cake so for her birthday I made her pumpkin gingersnap trifle in little individual cup servings - turned out cute, practical(transportable), and yummy.

I made pumpkin mousse (see below),  let it set up in the fridge for an hour, then scooped out about 2 tablespoons into 9 oz clear plastic cups. Add some chopped up gingersnap cookies, top with another 2 tablespoons of mousse and 1 tablespoon of cool whip, finish with some cookie crumbs sprinkled on top.




To transport them to her birthday party I put the filled cups in a muffin tray overlapping the edges of the cups a little bit to fit them all in. Worked great, didn't spill or tip over, and the individual portions made for pretty servings.

To make the mousse:

2 packages instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup cool whip or whipped cream

Whisk the milk and pudding together in a large bowl for a couple of minutes until dissolved and starting to thicken. Add the pumpkin and spice, stir well to combine. Fold in the cool whip. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Cinnamon Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin Polenta

Saw this recipe on BHG and thought it sounded good... yep, it's a keeper! I modified it a little - the original recipe called for grits but after I googled the difference between grits (which I couldn't find in the grocery store) and polenta (which I already have in my cupboard) and found it's just a matter of how coarse the cornmeal is ground I decided it's now "pumpkin polenta". I used bigger pieces of chicken so increased the spices and baking time a bit, made more polenta than called for, and added parmesan in addition to the cheddar cheese (click here for my version). Served with roasted asparagus - delish Sunday Supper.

I forgot to take a picture of the polenta with the
roasted chicken...the chicken basically just looked
like chicken though, you get the idea :)

If you haven't made polenta before, give it a try - it's very easy and quick. You can buy it in a container and measure out the cornmeal to add to liquid, or buy it in a tube ready to slice or add liquid to it if you want it creamy and softer. Great both ways.

a few of the ingredients...