Pumpkin Spiced Coffee Cake

I know, I know….I said 30 days of eating as healthy as I can but I just couldn't resist baking this scrumptious pumpkin coffee cake!!! If you take a close look to the ingredients I used the recipe really isn't that bad for you AND besides it's not like you are going to eat the whole coffee cake yourself in one sitting…..even if you did who am I to judge!

I did not have time to roast my own pumpkin to make homemade pumpkin puree (which I do recommend you trying….the difference in taste & color is amazing) thankfully I do know some one who had the time to prepare homemade pumpkin puree and shared it with the blogging world. If you haven't tried it homemade but would like to here is a recipe that was meant for you. Don't forget to look at all the other GREAT ideas/recipes you could use store bought or homemade pumpkin puree.

Courtney, the author of  Fitcakery is a fellow Culinary friend of mine who has also found their passion for cooking, baking and finding healthy alternatives in life without having to sacrifice flavor, quality or your budget! 

I have been eyeballing the pumpkin cookies since Courtney blogged about them a few days ago.

Pumpkin Spiced Coffee Cake

For the topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS cold butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans



For the cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 can (15oz.) Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) 
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease and flour dust a 13x9 baking pan; set aside.

In a small bowl combine the topping ingredients and cut butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until creamy and smooth. Add one egg at a time make sure to beat well after each egg is added. Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract; mix well. 

In another bowl combine your dry ingredients and lightly whisk before slowly adding them to the pumpkin mixture. Beat on low just until blended. Spread into the prepped baking pan and sprinkle with the topping mixture.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Last week in my baking class I decided to make my scrumptious Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts for my classmates.....needless to say they were a HUGE success and I actually had to hide doughnuts to bring home for my family. SO with that being said I figured I HAD to share my recipe with you again. It's a KEEPER for sure and WILL have your friends and family asking for the recipe or for more!!

Previously shared September 19, 2012
*****This past Sunday my husband woke up and asked if we should go out for breakfast, which I had to turn down since we had been gone all day Saturday and we were going over to friends for a BBQ & Football. I asked him why he wanted to go out for breakfast and he replied with: "I am hungry for something good.....like Pumpkin Doughnuts". I jumped out of bed and said:"I have a recipe I have been wanting to try out for Homemade Pumpkin Doughnuts and I even have pumpkin in the pantry".

 So off to the kitchen I went!

Since I have never even tried making doughnuts EVER before I was not convinced this recipe would work or taste good. The original recipe called for buttermilk, which we never have in the house so instead I use Greek yogurt (this we always have). The dough was super easy to make and it was also really sticky, another reason I didn't think it was going to work BUT you do have to put the batter in the freezer for 15 minutes before you press it out to cut into shape.

**A little tip: cut all your doughnuts out before heating the oil to fry it in, otherwise you might have a flour mess like I did because I didn't think the doughnuts were going to cook as fast as they did**

Pumpkin-Spice Doughnuts

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk <<<<greek yogurt

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 TBS butter, melted

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin spice

1 TBS salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups flour, plus extra for patting out

Directions:

In a large bowl whisk together both the whole egg and the egg yolk until frothy. Add pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk (yogurt), brown sugar and butter; whisk until combined. Stir in baking powder, pumpkin spice, salt and baking soda.

Gradually fold in flour until a sticky dough forms; cover and put in freezer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile get your pan ready for frying. You will need at least 2" of oil.....don't heat until after you have cut your doughnuts.

Take dough out of freezer and pat out on a well floured surface to 1/2" thick and then cut using either a doughnut cutter or 2 biscuit cutters. Transfer these to a floured baking sheet.
Now heat your oil to at least 370F before you start frying your doughnuts. Fry doughnuts and doughnut holes until browned, about 3 minutes turning once halfway through. Keep an eye on these so they don't burn! Place the finished doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with paper towel. When they have cooled enough to touch finish them by dipping them in a cinnamon and sugar mixture. ( 1 cup + 1 tsp cinnamon).

Don't mind the jug of baby water in the background my husband pulled the camera out and I was so impressed with the way the doughnuts were turning out and slightly freaked out about all the flour I had tossed all over the kitchen that I didn't even notice the water jug in the background until I went to edit my pictures.

I don't think I will ever buy store bought pumpkin doughnuts again after making these!!! These doughnuts hit the spot on taste, texture and freshness. 

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

This is the yummies bread I have made it a while, good thing the recipe yields 2 loaves! It smells so yummy while it is in the oven too. I am going to make sure to keep some extra cans of pumpkin in my pantry since after the holidays are over it always seems like canned pumpkin is nonexistent.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 eggs

2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pie mix)

1 cup canola oil or applesauce (I use applesauce whenever I have it)

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans, optional (I didn't have any on hand today)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F; grease 2 loaf pans

Combing your dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. 

In a larger bowl beat eggs with both sugars. Add pumpkin, oil (applesauce) and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients. 

Fold in cranberries and pecans.

Divide mixture evenly between the two loaf pans.

Bake 50-55 minutes, check for doneness before removing from oven.

Cool in loaf pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely. 

**I wrap my bread in plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator. These also freeze well. 

When I eat this bread I like to put my slices in the toaster for a few minutes and then I add either a dab of butter or smear a little peanut butter on before eating....yummm ;-)**

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

So I found this recipe and thought "I am going to try these".....I have never made cinnamon rolls from scratch let alone cinnamon rolls with pumpkin!! I will tell you that the recipe takes a little bit of time from start to finish BUT the time was WELL worth it :-)

Ready to rise for the first time

Rising for the second time

Baked without the frosting 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

1/3 cup milk (I used lactose free milk)
2 TBS butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 TBS sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 (1/4 oz.) pkg dry yeast ( I used Rapid Rise Yeast)
2 cups flour

Filling
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS melted butter

Directions:

In a small saucepan heat milk and 2 TBS butter just until warm (DO NOT BOIL OR SIMMER), heat just until butter is completely melted, stir while heating. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, sugar and salt. Add milk mixture to the pumpkin and mix until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast.

In a separate bowl add the two cups of flour with the nutmeg and salt. Slowly add flour to the the wet mixture, scraping sides of bowl frequently until all of the flour is combined. Dough will be very sticky!

Lightly grease a different bowl and turn dough into this bowl. Grease the surface of the dough lightly and cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm area and let rise at least 1 hour. Dough is ready when doubled in size.

Meanwhile combine your filling ingredients and set aside.

When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough onto a clean, floured surface. Knead a few times to form a smooth dough. You will need to sprinkle your dough with more flour to make it workable and easy to handle. Once your dough is workable roll dough into a 12x10 rectangle.

Once you have rolled out your dough, smear your filling mixture all over. Then roll your dough up jellyroll style, beginning on a long side. Cut your dough into 3 even chunks and then cut these into 1 inch slices. Place rolls cut side up in a greased square baking dish.*** Cover and let rise again for 30-45 mins. Preheat your oven to 350 F during this step.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from your baking dish and put them on a parchment paper lined cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

***You can freeze the rolls before baking if desired. When ready to bake take them out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature at least 5 hrs before baking. This amount of time is needed to allow dough to rise.

Caramel Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBS milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

In a small saucepan heat butter until melted. Stir in remaining ingredients, having the powered sugar being the last thing added. Whisk until smooth. Smear over baked and slightly cooled cinnamon rolls.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Halloween is over and now we are going to be focusing all our attention to getting our menus together for Thanksgiving. These next few weeks are some of the yummies weeks of the year! I don't think there has been a fall season where I haven't wanted to bake more cookies or cook more soup. I would have to say September-January are my favorite months of the year. Another favorite of mine during these months are all the yummy recipes to use pumpkin in! But then again I like using it year round ;-)

These cookies are some of the best cookies I have made! They are not only delicious but they were the perfect blend between firm, fluffy and not too sweet but yet just the right amount of sugar that goes great with either a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

For the cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 3/4 cup flour (sounds like a lot but it is right)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For the coating:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin, then egg and vanilla; stir until incorporated.

While creaming the butter whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Turn your mixer on low and slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and pumpkin mixture. Mixture will be thick and sticky.

Either cover your bowl or transfer to a clean bowl and cover; chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (I actually left mine in the refrigerator overnight, then took it out while the oven was preheating before baking). 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and combine the ingredients for the coating; set aside. Scoop dough and roll into equal size balls. Roll in the sugar coating, place on the baking sheets and gently push the cookies down to flatten the tops. Cookies will not spread much, so you don't have to leave more then 1 inch between cookies. 

Bake the cookies 12-14 mins, they should be slightly firm to touch for them to be finished. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before putting them into your cookie jar or tightly sealed container. These keep well! ENJOY!! 

Pumpkin Spiced Biscotti

Most of my friends know that I love drinking coffee and that I love to bake so I am always trying out new recipes that might go good with a hot cup of coffee. Biscotti is one of many great combinations. Did you know that Biscotti actually means "baked twice"?

I have made chocolate biscotti and vanilla biscotti but this was my first time making a pumpkin one. So first I did a little online searching to see how much pumpkin was needed or what was too much. Should I use pumpkin spice or other spices? I decided to take a few recipes and try my own way instead. I will be making these again, but this time I will add chopped pecans to it (didn't have any to try it out this time around).

Pumpkin Biscotti

3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (not used in these pictures)

2 squares white chocolate
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350F and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. This batter does not spread much but you will need a second cookie sheet after cutting the biscotti.

Sift your dry ingredients together in a bowl; set aside. Mix the pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until well incorporated. Slowly add your dry ingredient mixture in little by little; mix on low until all the flour is mixed in. Stir in the chopped pecans.

After baking for the first 25 minutes

 Your batter will be very sticky and thick after you have added all the flour. Divide the batter into 2 logs onto your cookie sheets.  Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Then you will need to cut your biscotti. Turn your temperature down to 300 F before returning your biscotti back to the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, pull out of oven and flip each piece. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes. Your biscotti may still feel a little soft after the last 10 minutes but don't worry it will dry out more while they are cooling.

While your biscotti is cooling you can melt your white chocolate and stir in the pumpkin pie spice to get ready for drizzling. Your biscotti should be cool enough that your drizzle won't melt.

Drizzled with white chocolate

 Once the chocolate is set store them in an air tight container. Eat them with hot coffee or tea! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Brownies

Today was one of those days!! Thankfully I was able to get some baking & cooking done AND most importantly I was able to get to the store to restock my coffee filters.....this better not ever happen again, I can't get up in the morning to no coffee filters!!


Pumpkin Brownies

1 box Brownie mix, Family size

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix

(YES THAT IS IT)

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a square baking pan.

Hand mix your pumpkin puree and brownie mix until well incorporated. It will be thick and fudgy looking. Put batter into your prepped baking pan and smooth out the top. 

Bake 45 minutes, check your brownies with a cake tester or toothpick before removing.

Let cool 10 minutes in baking pan before inverting onto a cooling rack (I would not recommend leaving these in the pan to cool because they are very moist and could get soggy).

Verdict: Easy, healthy and SO fudge!! You can't really taste the pumpkin in these (maybe just a hint) but I didn't use any eggs or oil to make them so they are a winner in my book! Did I mention how YUMMY they smelled while they were baking???

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Fall is slowly making its way to Arizona!! Monsoon season is over and the first day of fall is only 3 days away. I can't wait to turn of our A/C and finally get to open the windows in our house for some fresh air again. Tomorrow is my son's 8th birthday!! Where have the years gone? For his birth"day" he gets to pick dinner since its on a school night and then Saturday we are having a Pool Party for him.....yes, I know I was just talking about how fall is making its way and yes we are still able to have a pool party.....this is the good part of fall season in Arizona. I even went to check the pool yesterday to make sure the water is still comfortable.

This past Sunday my husband woke up and asked if we should go out for breakfast, which I had to turn down since we had been gone all day Saturday and we were going over to friends for a BBQ & Football. I asked him why he wanted to go out for breakfast and he replied with: "I am hungry for something good.....like Pumpkin Doughnuts". I jumped out of bed and said:"I have a recipe I have been wanting to try out for Homemade Pumpkin Doughnuts and I even have pumpkin in the pantry".

 So off to the kitchen I went!

Since I have never even tried making doughnuts EVER before I was not convinced this recipe would work or taste good. The original recipe called for buttermilk, which we never have in the house so instead I use Greek yogurt (this we always have). The dough was super easy to make and it was also really sticky, another reason I didn't think it was going to work. BUT you do have to put the batter in the freezer for 15 minutes before you press it out to cut into shape.

**A little tip: cut all your doughnuts out before heating the oil to fry it in, otherwise you might have a flour mess like I did because I didn't think the doughnuts were going to cook as fast as they did**

Cinnamon & Sugar plunge

Don't mind the jug of baby water in the background my husband pulled the camera out and I was so impressed with the way the doughnuts were turning out and slightly freaked out about all the flour I had tossed all over the kitchen that I didn't even notice the water jug in the background until I went to edit my pictures.

I don't think I will ever buy store bought pumpkin doughnuts again after making these!!! These doughnuts hit the spot on taste, texture and freshness. 

Here is my recipe for:

Pumpkin-Spice Doughnuts

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk <<<<greek yogurt

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 TBS butter, melted

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin spice

1 TBS salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups flour, plus extra for patting out

Directions:

In a large bowl whisk together both the whole egg and the egg yolk until frothy. Add pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk (yogurt), brown sugar and butter; whisk until combined. Stir in baking powder, pumpkin spice, salt and baking soda.

Gradually fold in flour until a sticky dough forms; cover and put in freezer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile get your pan ready for frying. You will need at least 2" of oil.....don't heat until after you have cut your doughnuts.

Take dough out of freezer and pat out on a well floured surface to 1/2" thick and then cut using either a doughnut cutter or 2 biscuit cutters. Transfer these to a floured baking sheet.

Now heat your oil to at least 370F before you start frying your doughnuts. Fry doughnuts and doughnut holes until browned, about 3 minutes turning once halfway through. Keep an eye on these so they don't burn! Place the finished doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with paper towel. When they have cooled enough to touch finish them by dipping them in a cinnamon and sugar mixture. ( 1 cup + 1 tsp cinnamon).

Eat these fresh, they do not taste to great the next day ;-)