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Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup #PumpkinWeek

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Disclosure: This recipe is a part of a blogger event, called #PumpkinWeek.

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If you know me at all, I’m always anxiously awaiting the arrival of pumpkin-spiced coffee drinks. I absolutely cannot get enough of them, but at $5/drink, it really adds up! I have a Nespresso machine at home, so I thought, what if I made my own pumpkin spiced drinks at home?

Yes, y’all. This syrup is SO good! Lately (since it’s 90+ degrees outside), I just take a cup full of ice, and add a couple of shots of espresso, a small amount of this syrup (maybe just under a full tbsp. for me), and then I fill up the rest of the cup with milk. Easy peasy pumpkin spice iced coffee!

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup
Source: mildly adapted from Cook Like a Champion

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp. pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin spice
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Directions:

  1. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan, and cook the mixture over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved in the water.
  2. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground sugar. Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes on medium-low, stirring frequently, making sure to not let the mixture come to a boil (if it’s necessary, reduce the heat more).
  3. Allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes. An optional step is to strain the mixture through cheesecloth, but I decided against it. (The more spice, the better for me!) Enjoy!
  4. Use a small amount of this (anywhere from a tsp. to a tbsp.-ish, depending on sweetener preferences) in your coffee drink of choice and enjoy!

Want more pumpkin recipes? Here are today’s #PumpkinWeek recipes:

Pumpkin Drink Recipes:

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup from The Nifty Foodie

Savory Pumpkin Recipes:

Blackened Steak Tacos with Roasted Pumpkin, Sweet Corn and Red Bean Salsa from Bacon Fatte
Chicken and Pumpkin Curry from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Pumpkin Beer Bread Pudding from Forking Up
Pumpkin Habanero Salsa from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Pumpkin-Poblano Salsa from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Pumpkin Risotto with Garlic and Sage from Making Miracles
Pumpkin Sausage Mac and Cheese from Daily Dish Recipes
Pumpkin Sausage Skillet Dinner from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Pumpkin Walnut Sage Pierogi from The Crumby Kitchen
Savory Pumpkin Sage Biscuits from Kudos Kitchen by Renee

Sweet Pumpkin Recipes:

Healthy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins from Feeding Big
Maple Pumpkin Monkey Bread from The Bitter Side of Sweet
Pumpkin Chess Pie from The Spiffy Cookie
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins with a Pecan Oat Crumble from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Pumpkin Cream Puffs from Mildly Meandering
Pumpkin Dump Cake from Seduction in the Kitchen
Pumpkin-Nut Crumble Cake from Hardly A Goddess
Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Dip from An Affair from the Heart
Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes from The Freshman Cook
Whipped Pumpkin Pie Honey Butter from Love and Confections.
White Chocolate Pumpkin Biscotti from The Redhead Baker

Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Bars #PumpkinWeek

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Disclosure: This recipe is a part of a blogger event, called #PumpkinWeek.

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Anddddd, just like that, it’s October!

My husband and I have been so busy, which really isn’t like us. Most of our weekends involve meal prepping in some sort of fashion. We actually used to purchase 5-day meal plans through a local company, and then we quickly realized that not only was it spend-y, but since we love to cook, we were totally missing that aspect in our day-to-day lives.

Since we’re new to the meal prep side of things, we are quickly learning what works and what doesn’t. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share some tips and tricks with y’all, but for now, it’s a work in progress!

This past weekend was one of the first weekends in a while that I baked something sweet. Well, two sweet dishes (as you will see later this week). It was ALLLL for #PumpkinWeek. 🙂 This blogging event was just MADE for me, since I love everything pumpkin! My first recipe that I’m going to share with y’all are these fantastic Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Bars! These are cake-y bars, loaded with pumpkin spice, oatmeal and dried cranberries…topped with a maple glaze. It’s just fantastic! I shared these with our neighbors, and one of them mentioned that they could totally eat a whole pan of these. 😛

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Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Source: adapted from Chowhound

Ingredients:

For the bars:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. fine salt
  • 2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups)
  • 1 cup dried cranberries

For the glaze:

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. milk (not nonfat), plus more as needed
  • 2 tbsp. maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, rolled oats, baking powder, pumpkin spice & salt) together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat the mixture well on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer, and using a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then, return the mixer to medium speed. Beat the mixture until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer, and scrape down the bowl.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the reserved flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Then, add half of the pumpkin puree and mix until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and pumpkin puree. Fold in the dried cranberries, until just incorporated.
  6. Spread out the batter evenly into the 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool.
  7. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk & maple syrup in a bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the bars, and enjoy!

 

Are you in a pumpkin mood lately, too? Here are today’s #PumpkinWeek recipes:

Pumpkin Drink Recipes:

Pumpkin Pie Moscow Mule from Love and Confections.

Savory Pumpkin Recipes:

Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce from Hardly A Goddess.
Goat Cheese and Sage Pizza with Pumpkin Crust from The Spiffy Cookie.
Kaddo Bowrani (Afghan Pumpkin with Yoghurt Sauce) from Caroline’s Cooking.
Pickled Pumpkin with Sage and Autumn Spices from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
Pumpkin Beer Bread from Forking Up.
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup with Herbed Croutons from The Crumby Kitchen.
Pumpkin Chili from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures.
Pumpkin Corn Chowder with Shrimp from Kudos Kitchen by Renee.
Pumpkin Focaccia Bread from Cookaholic Wife.
Pumpkin Ravioli with Parmesan Sage Cream Sauce from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen.
Pumpkin Rosemary Hummus with Sizzled Garlic from Amy’s Cooking Adventures.
Pumpkin Stew with Chicken and Black Beans from Palatable Pastime.

Sweet Pumpkin Recipes:

Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from The Redhead Baker.
Cheesecake Stuffed Pumpkin Bundt Cake from Cooking with Carlee.
Easy Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake from Daily Dish Recipes.
Jumbo Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Pecan Streusel Topping from Family Around The Table.
Pumpkin Blondies from It Bakes Me Happy.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from The Bitter Side of Sweet.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake from The Chef Next Door.

Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Bars from The Nifty Foodie.

Pumpkin Madeleines from Mildly Meandering.
Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites from Making Miracles.
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal from Seduction in the Kitchen.
Pumpkin Pie Tassies from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings.
Pumpkin Scones from The Freshman Cook.
Pumpkin Spice Donuts from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Pumpkin Spice Donuts from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks.
Pumpkin Zucchini Streusel Bread from An Affair from the Heart.
Ridiculously Good Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Cake from Bacon Fatte.

Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Pie

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by OXO. I received free products in exchange for this post. A charitable donation was also made to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer in exchange for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Pie
According to the dollar spot at Target, as well as the baristas at Starbucks, it is FALL Y’ALL!

FINALLY.

(Yes, I know calendar-wise, it’s not TECHNICALLY Fall…but I’ll take what I can get!)

I’ve officially switched my home decor to Fall, and I’m currently warming ALL of the Fall Scentsy fragrances I can get my mitts on.

Also, I’m in full-on Fall baking mode. HELLO, pumpkin pie. <3
Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Pie

I decided to make a classic pumpkin pie with a slight twist. While I was at the store, I came across some dulce de leche, and thought that it would be PERFECT with this pie. Caramel + Pumpkin go really well together. It worked beautifully in this pie. I used my favorite all-butter pie crust, and adapted one of my favorite pumpkin pie recipes to make this fantastic dessert. I got a handful of compliments from coworkers the other day when I made this. It was a winner!

I highly encourage you to make your own pie crust from scratch, by the way. It’s super easy, doesn’t take much time at all, and the flavor in this crust is just so rich and buttery. It’s worth it!

Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Pie

OXO sent me some amazing products to make the perfect pie! One thing I really love about OXO is that they really, truly make the cooking & baking experience easier on the home-cook! I’ve loved the OXO brand for years, and these products are a great addition to our kitchen tools.

I received the following products to use/review:

I have always been really cautious about glass bakeware lately, because of the risk of it shattering. However, OXO put me a little more at ease with their thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass. OXO claims that this means that it can go from freezer to oven without the need to thaw, which is awesome! I didn’t test this out, but the pie plate performed really well for me!

I also especially loved the measuring tools that they included. I already have (AND LOVE) the full set of their angled measuring cups, so getting another 4-cup one is awesome! The measuring spoons are especially awesome, because they connect via a magnet vs. constantly having to take them on/off loops to keep them all together. It’s GENIUS.

The double pastry wheel and silicone pastry brush seem really well-built, and they also performed really well. All in all, I really enjoyed all of these products!

Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Pie

Pumpkin Dulce De Leche Pie
Source: Pie Filling adapted from Libby’s & Pie Crust is from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
For the crust:

For the filling:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 large eggs, divided
  • 1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
  • 4 oz. dulce de leche

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out your pie crust into two even-sized circles, that would fit into the pie dish. Rub butter on the inside of a 9″ pie dish, and press one of the crusts into the pie dish.
  2. To make the filling, mix the granulated sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat two of the eggs together, until well-mixed. Add in the pumpkin puree and sugar/spice mixture, and mix well. Then, gradually stir in the evaporated milk.
  3. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie shell-lined dish, and then drizzle the 4 oz. of dulce de leche on top of the filling (not on the crust).
  4. Optional: Using a pastry wheel, cut the last pie circle into 1/2 inch strips, and place over the pie in a lattice pattern.
  5. Place the last egg in a small bowl or mug, and beat until well-mixed together. Using the pastry brush, brush the edges of the crust, as well as the top of the crust (if you are using a double crust) with the egg wash.
  6. Bake the pie in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, and then reduce the temperature down to 350 degrees F. Bake the pie for another 40-50 minutes (checking the pie every 10 minutes or so to see if the pie crust edges need to be covered with a pie shield to prevent burning), or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Cool the baked pie on a wire rack for 2 hours, and serve immediately or refrigerate.

Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Pie + GIVEAWAY!

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Disclosure: The folks at Greek Gods yogurt sent me product coupons to develop this recipe. They are also providing the giveaway prize within this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Pie

I’m not necessarily the strongest cook in my family. Most of the time, I can nail a recipe, but there are times when I totally have a fail.

For example, I burnt a batch of white rice in the rice cooker this weekend. Yep….rice.

Whenever stuff like this happens, I have to get back into baking again. I’m less likely to have a baking fail vs. a cooking fail, so it’s a bit of a boost when I whip up something delicious after a silly fail like that. 😛

The folks at Greek Gods yogurt reached out to me, asking me to somehow incorporate greek yogurt into a pie, since Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I’ve used yogurt substitutions before in baking with great results, so I was excited to try this out on a true classic: pumpkin pie.

When we tried this pie the other night, you couldn’t even tell that it wasn’t the traditional pumpkin pie. It was a lovely, smooth texture, and it still had that delicious pumpkin pie flavor that I’ve grown to know and love. The recipe is pretty simple…for the filling, you just dump everything in a bowl, mix and add to the pie crust. And if you don’t have time to make a crust, you can totally use a store-bought pie shell.

Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Pie
Source: an original

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Roll out the pie crust enough to fill a pie dish. Carefully place the rolled out dough in the pie dish, pressing gently against the bottom and sides of the dish to line the pie dish.
  3. In a large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, greek yogurt, granulated sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and heavy cream. Mix everything together for a couple of minutes, until well-mixed.
  4. Carefully pour the pie filling into the pie dish, smoothing out the top. Place the pie in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes at 425. Then, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake for 45-55 minutes. Halfway through the baking process, you will want to add foil on top of the pie crust edges, to avoid burning.
  5. Allow the pie to cool for 2 hours. Serve warm or place in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

For other great recipes that use greek yogurt, check out Greek Gods yogurt’s Facebook page. They have quite a few great holiday recipe ideas, ranging from a Pumpkin Pie Trifle to Greek Yogurt Biscuits!

The generous folks at Greek Gods yogurt are offering one reader of The Nifty Foodie 10 free product coupons (approximate value, up to $50) to get you started with your holiday pie baking.

Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below (continental US readers only):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: This giveaway is supplied by Greek Gods yogurt, and is open to readers in the continental US only. Entries will be accepted until November 12th, 2015 at 11:59pm (central standard time). Winner will be emailed (make sure you leave an email address in the form), and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

 

Pumpkin Marble Cupcakes

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Disclosure: I wrote this post as a part of OXO’s Bake a Difference for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (#OXOGoodCookies) campaign. I received no compensation for this post, but was given OXO products to use to make this recipe.

Pumpkin Marble Cupcakes

I have never been much of a stereotypical Halloween person. Costume parties make me cringe, because my cheap self refuses to purchase a costume that I’ll just wear one day out of the year. Haunted houses….well, you couldn’t pay me enough to go to a haunted house. Scary movies? Um…no.

I’m in the minority here. The only side of Halloween I like is the whimsical “Merry, Not Scary” side of Halloween. I like cute jack o’ lanterns, boo-ing neighbors/coworkers, Hocus Pocus (on repeat!), and ok…Trick or Treaters are pretty much adorable. So, when it comes to making something festive for Halloween, I always lean towards the cute side.

When I went to Hobby Lobby a while back, I saw these adorable jumbo candy eyes in the cake decorating section. I thought they would be perfect for a festive Halloween cupcake! And what’s more festive than pumpkin right now? These cupcakes are basic pumpkin cupcakes swirled with chocolate flavor and topped with a simple vanilla buttercream.

I made these cupcakes to Bake a Difference with OXO for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. This fall, keep your eyes peeled for certain OXO products with this sticker on the tag.

oxo
Source: OXO (Image used with permission)

OXO sent me some of their latest cupcake products, including:

When I received the OXO products, I was so impressed, especially with the cupcake pan! The cupcake pan is heavy duty…like, really heavy duty. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use my regular pans again! The cupcake icing knife was nice to use. It’s perfectly sized for frosting cupcakes. Now, while the silicone decorating kit is really great, (especially since it’s dishwasher safe) I sort of wish it was double the capacity. I like to use a lot of frosting for cupcakes, and refilling this for every other cupcake was sort of a pain. However, I think it will work perfectly for filling cupcakes or it may be better suited for cookies, where you don’t use a ton of frosting.

Pumpkin Marble Cupcakes
Source: an original

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
  • 3 tbsp. cocoa powder

For the buttercream:

Optional: Jumbo Candy Eye sprinkles

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners and set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice Whisk the ingredients together until well-combined and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the sugars, butter and eggs together until fully mixed. Add in the dry ingredients, and mix on low until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the bowl. Add in the can of pumpkin puree, and mix until everything is well-combined.
  4. Place half of the cupcake batter in another bowl, and mix in the cocoa powder.
  5. Fill each cupcake liner about halfway full, alternating the pumpkin and pumpkin chocolate batters, and then, using a toothpick, carefully swirl the batters in the cupcake liners. Bake the cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes, rotating once after 10 minutes. You’ll know the cupcakes are done baking when  a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Pumpkin Marble Cupcakes

To decorate, there’s two ways to go about it (which are pictured above). The quicker/easier method to frost them is to spread on a thick, even layer of frosting, using a cupcake icing knife. If you wanted to go a little more detailed, first spread on a thin layer of frosting, using the cupcake icing knife. Then, using the baker’s silicone decorating bottle kit (with the star tip), pipe on little dollops of frosting all over the top of the cupcake. After the cupcakes are frosted, top each cupcake with two jumbo candy eyes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:
  • Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501c(3) public charity duly incorporated under the laws of the state of New Jersey. Your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. 100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.
  • OXO will be donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each blog post dedicated to this campaign in October (up to our $100,000 commitment*.)
  • *In 2015, OXO will donate up to $100,000 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer through product proceeds, bake sale matches and other fundraising efforts

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Just the other day, I realized that Thanksgiving is a few short weeks away. I feel like I was forking out the pumpkin cans way too early last week, and burning fall candles in the 100 degree weather fairly recently. How am I already planning out things to cook for Thanksgiving?

I’m also Christmas shopping like crazy, just so I can avoid the mall once Black Friday hits. I used to thrive on Black Friday shopping, but I think I prefer the rush of online shopping more anyway. 🙂 Cyber Monday rocks (even though I’m sure the UPS guy doesn’t agree with me on this one…).

We’re totally in holiday season, and I love it. Halloween…Thanksgiving….Christmas….New Years! It’s a great time of the year!

For Halloween, my work had a pot-luck type of party, and they held a pumpkin baking contest. Of course I had to try…even my coworkers were asking me from day 1 what I was bringing. I guess they know that I keep Libby’s (pumpkin) in business this time of the year with the treats that I bring to the office. 🙂

I decided to finally try my hand at a cheesecake cake. I saw this idea on Erin’s blog a few years ago, and always thought that I should make it happen. I just never did, because I was intimidated. Two desserts in one? (Yeesh!) However, it’s totally manageable to do. While it seemed daunting, I broke it up into two days (which is explained in the directions). Basically, day one = cheesecake making/freezing and day two = cake making/assembling. I followed Erin’s tips, and it came out perfectly!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Buttercream

So, y’all. If you have a couple of days to make this, oh man….it doesn’t even have to be pumpkin. Just make a cheesecake cake. It’s amazing!

Oh, and if you’re wondering how the contest went, I won! However, it was definitely a close contest! The judges were split between all of the delicious desserts…my coworkers are SO talented in the kitchen. 🙂

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake

Recipes:

Directions:

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray, and line the bottom of the springform pan with a 9-inch piece of parchment paper.
  2. Pour filling into the springform pan, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case springform leaks). Bake until center is just set and measures 140 to 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes.
  3. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove the ring of the springform pan (not the bottom yet), and wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap. Then wrap the plastic-wrapped cheesecake in heavy duty foil. Freeze the cheesecake overnight.
  4. The next evening, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two round cake pans with parchment paper, and split the cupcake/cake batter amongst the two pans. Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
  5. To assemble the cheesecake cake, take the cheesecake out of the freezer to thaw for about 10 minutes. Remove the bottom of the springform pan from the cheesecake (the parchment paper in the bottom of the pan should help with this step). Level the pumpkin cake layers, and if necessary, level the cheesecake as well. Assemble the cake with one layer of cake, the cheesecake layer on top of the cake and then the remaining layer of cake on top of the cheesecake layer. You won’t need frosting between the layers. If you only had 8-inch round cake pans (like me) and a 9-inch springform pan (like me), you’ll need to carefully shave the cheesecake edges to the edge of the 8-inch cake layers.
  6. Ice the cheesecake cake with the spiced cream cheese frosting, and if you’d like, add sprinkles! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Espresso Cream Cheese Muffins

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Pumpkin Espresso Cream Cheese Muffins

Just the other day, my husband and I were at Costco, and I was super tempted to purchase these trees for our mantel when the holiday season is here. I’m always a little eager to decorate for the holidays (if it were up to me, I’d have everything up in mid-November), but I held back from purchasing them.

Out here, it still feels summer-ish. We had a quick cool blast of weather this past weekend, which was a sweet relief. I took most of the day to weed the gardens, combat dodge wasp nests (OMG, the wasps this year), add new pine straw and add pretty new annuals for the upcoming seasons. It was nice to be out there, and for once, not really feel the effects of being outside until the next day (yeah, my legs were sore for two days after all of that..). However, once Monday hit, we were back to ridiculously humid days and highs in the mid to upper 80s. I rebelled with pumpkin spice coffee, but no dice. Still humid and gross outside. :-\

Oh, and we also decorated for Halloween. I totally forgot just how many decorations we purchased after Halloween last year haha! Pulling all of the Christmas decorations from the attic is going to be a surprise for sure, because I know we ransacked stores once things got to be 75% off last January.

Even though it’s practically summer outside, I’m still cracking open cans of pumpkin. In fact, one of my husband’s coworkers was sweet enough to bring him pumpkin puree, since they get a lot of what I bake in the kitchen. I sent him to work with a batch of pumpkin snickerdoodles and half of these muffins (I need to bring something for my coworkers, too!)

This is a twist of the popular Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins that are typically seen in a certain coffee shop during the fall, and while the twist is subtle, oh man…it MAKES these muffins! Instead of filling with a plain, sweetened cream cheese, I decided to add in some espresso powder (since I’m ALL about the pumpkin spice coffee lately) with a little bit of cinnamon as well. The dozen muffins that I brought to work didn’t even make it to the break room table! (If my coworkers see me with an aluminum tin, they know some baked goodness is hiding underneath the foil.) While these muffins do take a few steps more than normal muffins (due to the layering of the batter/cream cheese/batter/streusel topping), it’s definitely worth it.

Pumpkin Espresso Cream Cheese Muffins
Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Bakespace

Ingredients:

For the filling:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp. espresso powder
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the muffins:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

For the streusel topping:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 5 tbsp. flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • Optional: roasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

  1. To make the filling, mix the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, espresso powder and cinnamon together in a medium-sized bowl, until the ingredients are well-mixed and the mixture is smooth. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter, and transfer the mixture to the plastic wrap. Shape the mixture into a 1 1/2 inch diameter log, and then wrap the cream cheese mixture tightly with the plastic wrap. Then, wrap the plastic wrap with foil, and place the cream cheese mixture in the freezer, for at least 2 hours (making sure the log is at least slightly firm before using for the muffins).
  2. Once the filling is ready, make the muffins. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two muffin pans by lining them with cupcake/muffin liners and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda. Whisk the dry mixture well.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix the wet ingredients on medium-low speed, until well-mixed. Turn the mixer on low speed, and add in the dry ingredients, mixing everything together until just incorporated. Set aside.
  4. To make the topping, add the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small-sized bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients well. Add in the butter cubes, and using a pastry blender or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. (Keep this mixture in the fridge if you aren’t immediately baking the muffins.)
  5. Assemble the muffins by filling each liner with about 1-2 tbsp. of muffin batter, making sure to just cover the bottom of the muffin liner. Take the cream cheese log out of the freezer, and slice it into 24 equal slices. Place a slice of the espresso cream cheese mixture into each liner, on top of the just placed muffin batter. Divide the rest of the muffin batter among the muffin liners (until about 2/3 of the way full), being sure to completely cover the cream cheese slices. Lastly, sprinkle the streusel mixture (as well as the pumpkin seeds, if you wish) over each of the muffins.
  6. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, and then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to allow to completely cool. Note: DO NOT consume these muffins until they are completely cool, because the cream cheese will be ridiculously hot on the inside after baking. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Confetti Soft & Chewy Bars

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Pumpkin Confetti Soft & Chewy Bars

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went to an LSU football game. It was my first game in Tiger Stadium since I graduated from there (years ago), and my alma mater has changed so much. The campus is the same size, but they seem to be tearing down buildings and building new ones left and right. When we were walking around, I had moments of nostalgia. Part of me misses the college days…the super late night study sessions with friends, random on-call nights (yeah, I was a party pooping RA) and of course, the LSU student section at football games.

Our seats were super high up, which totally made my knees buckle under me since I have a terrible fear of heights. I needed a good 10-15 minutes to get used to our seats, but once the game started, I had no problem jumping up during big plays and looking over the ledge to see the crowd below…haha! I also teared up like a wuss when the LSU Tiger Band played the alma mater during pregame, mostly because I still have regrets about quitting marching band after a year and heck, I just miss the college days! I mean, I love being an adult and all, but there will always be a piece of me that misses those wonderful college days. 🙂

Speaking of nostalgia, anything involving funfetti mix makes me think of my childhood. My mom made funfetti cookies and cupcakes all the time in our house! In fact, for my bachelorette, there was a fresh batch of funfetti cupcakes just waiting for me and my friends in the hotel room. While cakes from scratch are wonderful, there will always be a place in my heart (and stomach) for funfetti. I thought that I should combine pumpkin with funfetti, because everyone in my life knows how pumpkin obsessed I am. The moisture in the pumpkin helps them to come out so soft and chewy, and these bars are then topped with a pumpkin spice/sugar mixture that adds a little crunch to them. It’s a great, simple recipe to bake up this fall. 🙂

Pumpkin Confetti Soft & Chewy Bars
Source: an original

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (divided)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

  1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9×13 inch cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs and 1 tsp. of the pumpkin pie spice together for about a minute, until no lumps in the cake mix remain.
  3. Evenly spread the dough with your hands in the 9×13 inch cake pan (it’s helpful to dip your hands in a bowl of warm water to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands). In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar and remaining 1 tsp. of pumpkin spice together. Sprinkle the pumpkin pie spiced sugar over the bar dough, and bake the bars for 15-18 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
  4. Allow the bars to fully cool in the pan, slice into bars and serve.

Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carton Smart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

triplechocolatepumpkinpie

With the holidays just days away, I'm starting to make my to-do lists and finalize the menu for the big Christmas dinner. We're hosting my husband's family this year, which is about 20 people, so the menu is getting a bit crazy. Thankfully, we have some family members willing to help out, and bring some dishes, but you guys know me…I'm all about the desserts! 🙂
 
When it comes to the holidays, I always enjoy a good homemade pumpkin pie, and this year, I wanted to try something different since chocolate & pumpkin are a match made in heaven: triple chocolate pumpkin pie.
 
Yup…that's pie with bittersweet chocolate spread on top of a graham cracker crust, along with chocolate in the pumpkin pie batter, topped with a milk chocolate drizzle. If that doesn't scream holiday decadence, I don't know what does!
 

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I was recently sent a package of products from Pacific Foods, and was asked to use one of their products to make a holiday dish. I chose the organic pumpkin puree to make this pie.
 
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They also sent me a container of organic cranberry sauce and chicken stock.
 
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One of the great things Pacific Foods has is their packaging. Their products are packed in Tetra Pak cartons, which is great for many reasons…the main one to me being that there are no preservatives. For example, the cranberry sauce ingredients are organic cranberries, organic cane sugar and water. That's it!
 
Here's more information about Tetra Pack packaging on the graphic below:
 
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Based on the information above, how do you think you can be #CartonSmart this holiday season? You can also learn more by checking out their Carton Smart page (link below), as well as their social media sites:
 
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Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
Source: Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

For the crust:

 
  • 2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3 oz. bittersweet (61%) chocolate, finely chopped

For the filling:

  • 6 oz. semisweet (55%) chocolate, chopped
  • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
  • 15 oz. pumpkin puree
  • 12 oz. can evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
  • 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • pinch of ground cloves

For the drizzle:

  • 1 oz. milk chocolate, melted

Directions:

  1. To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugars, salt and cinnamon. Evenly press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a deep 9 1/2 inch pie dish. Bake the crust until firm and fragrant, for about 8-10 minutes.
  2. Remove the pie dish from the oven and immediately sprinkle the bittersweet chocolate pieces over the bottom of the crust. Return the pie dish to the oven for about 1 minute, until the chocolate is melted. Using a spatula, spread the chocolate in a thin layer on the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Allow the crust to cool on a wire rack and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
  3. While the crust is cooling, make the pie filling. In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the semisweet chocolate and butter together in 30 second increments on 50% power, stirring well between each cycle, until the chocolate is smooth and melted.
  4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, salt and spices together until everything is well-mixed. While whisking the chocolate, slowly add in 1/3 of the pumpkin puree mixture to the chocolate mixture. Once that's mixed well, add in the rest of the pumpkin puree mixture and whisk until everyhing is well incorporated.
  5. Place the pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the pumpkin/chocolate mixture into the crust. You may have some extra filling (you could bake this in ramekins for mini servings…it will take less time to bake, though), so only fill the pie dish until you have about 1/4 inch of space left at the top (for rising).
  6. Bake the pie until the center is set, but still wobbly, for about 55-60 minutes. Allow the pie to cool in the pie dish on a wire rack, and then refrigerate the pie until chilled (at least 8 hours or overnight). Before serving the pie, drizzle the milk chocolate over the top. Enjoy!

Disclosure: I was compensated by SocialSpark to write this post, and was sent product samples from Pacific Foods at no cost to me. All opinions are 100% my own.

 

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

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pumpkinbreadpudding

Could the weather be more perfect lately? I can’t get enough of it. My day job is a standard desk job, and usually I’ll stay inside as much as possible, since it’s so gross and humid outside. However, lately…I take my breaks outdoors and walk or just relax on a bench and take in this perfect weather. It reminds me a lot of when I went to San Diego for a work conference…it was in the middle of July, yet, it felt like fall out there. Amazing!

I made this bread pudding since I took a bread baking class that I won in a local trivia contest on Twitter. After taking the class, I had 3 full baguettes at our house. When life gives you stale bread, you make bread pudding, right? And when life gives you stale bread in the fall, you make PUMPKIN bread pudding. Completely logical.

The most tedious part was cubing all of the bread, but after that, it was simple to throw together. Since I was bringing this to coworkers, I steered clear of the normal rum sauces (even though it’s cooked, I just don’t chance it) and made a pumpkin spice sauce to give the dessert an even bigger boost. This was SO good, and seeing that a double batch of this left the office well before lunch-time hit, I think quite a few people agreed with me. 🙂

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Pumpkin Spice Sauce
Source: bread pudding adapted from Smitten Kitchen, sauce adapted from Land O’ Lakes

Ingredients:

For the bread pudding:

  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old baguette or crusty bread
  • 3/4 stick unsalted butter

For the sauce:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, salt and pumpkin pie spice until well-combined.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. While preheating the oven, add the butter to the bottom of an 8″ square baking dish, and place it in the oven, allowing it to melt.
  3. When the butter has melted, take the dish out of the oven, and carefully toss (using tongs, since of course, the dish & butter will be very hot) the bread cubes in the butter, coating all of the bread well. Spread the bread cubes evenly over the baking dish. Give your bread pudding mixture one last stir, and then pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, ensuring that all of the bread pieces are evenly coated. Bake the bread pudding until the custard is set, about 25-30 minutes.
  4. To make the sauce, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, cream and pumpkin pie spice to a saucepan. Cook the sauce over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, making sure to stir ever so often. The mixture should thicken a bit and come to a full boil. Once that happens, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow the sauce to cool until warm.
  5. To serve, pour warm sauce over warm bread pudding. It’s also great served with fresh whipped cream or ice cream. You can store leftover bread pudding and sauce in the fridge, and microwave until both are warm again.