Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars

My work recently held a chili cook-off and a dessert bake-off. Since I knew my healthy turkey meat with beans chili would not go over well here in Texas, I entered the dessert contest. I decided to try a new recipe so that even if I didn't win, I'd at least have tried something new. I ended up really loving the combination of cheesecake and apple, and so did everyone else because I won 1st place in the dessert bake-off! Check out my goodies and winnings:

Recipe:
Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars (from Zoom Yummy)

Crust
1c flour
1/2c brown sugar
1c butter, softened

Cream cheese filling
2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2c sugar
1t vanilla
2 eggs

Apple topping
2 apples (I used granny smith)
1/2t cinnamon
2T sugar

Crumble
1/2c oatmeal
1/2c brown sugar
1/2c butter, softened
1c flour

Preheat to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until the batter is kinda crumbly. Press the dough into a 13x9" pan. Bake for 15 min or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Pour the cream cheese over the crust.

Peel the apples and chop. Mix the apples in a bowl with the cinnamon and sugar. Place the coated apple chunks on top of the cream cheese layer.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, and brown sugar for the crumble. Cut the butter in with a fork to create a crumbly mixture. Distribute evenly over apple sand cream cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300F and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove and cool completely. The original recipe calls for a caramel drizzle, but I forgot to make the caramel and they were still really delicious. Be sure to refrigerate after cooling at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Ok, so this one isn’t quite pumpkin, but its delicious friend, butternut squash. One of my favorites during the cooler months is butternut soup. I ran across this recipe for butternut squash gnocchi and I thought I’d try my hand at gnocchi again (first time was a pretty big fail as I was in high school and hardly ever baked/cooked). I am pretty pleased at how these ended up tasting, not so much with how they ended up looking haha! They are not the loveliest of gnocchi but they still tasted delicious. The problem was that my dough ended up being really sticky and nearly impossible to roll out cleanly. Perhaps I could have dried out the butternut squash, but I’m not sure how I would have done that. Here’s the finished product:

Recipe:
Butternut Squash Gnocchi (from Eat, Live, Run)

1 lg butternut squash (about 2.5-3 lbs)
2 ¼ c flour
½ t salt (I used truffle infused salt)
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ stick salted butter
Freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat to 400F. Peel and slice squash and roast on a lined baking sheet for 30-40 minutes or until very tender. Remove and let cool.

Once cool, puree squash in a blender or food processor and then transfer to a large bowl. Add flour, egg and salt. Mix until dough forms and kneed on heavily floured surface until smooth.

Brown butter. Set aside and let cool.

Bring a large pot of water with salt to boil.

Divide the gnocchi dough in half and roll half into a large, thin rope. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces. Once the water is boiling, drop the gnocchi into the pot. Boil until they float. Once the first half of dough is finished, pour out the water and boil a fresh pot of water. Do the same with the second half of the gnocchi dough. Once all the gnocchi is cooked, put in a bowl and pour the browned butter over the gnocchi. Top with a cup of Parmesan cheese. Toss to mix.

*The original recipe calls for you to fry fresh sage leaves, but I couldn’t seem to fry them without blackening them and they added no taste so I left them out.

Serve with more freshly grated Parmesan and fresh ground pepper.

Enjoy the flavors of the season!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Don’t worry everyone! I have not forgotten that it is fall, aka pumpkin season! I’ve just had a few fails to start off the season (pumpkin pancakes did not go well, I think I need a new griddle), but I’m bringing you my first winning recipe with pumpkin as the feature ingredient: Pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Mine look completely different from the recipe form which I was working. Mine are much darker and moist- looking. It’s entirely possible that I undercooked them, as I’m wont to do. They were still delicious!

Recipe:
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Bakers Royale)

1 1/2c old fashioned oats
¾ c flour
1/2c butter, browned
½ c sugar
½ c brown sugar
¾ c pumpkin puree
¾ t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
1 egg
½ t baking soda

Add-ins I used:
2 c chocolate chips

Other options:
Almonds, dried cranberries, toffee bits, etc

Preheat to 350F. In a medium bowl, mix together oats and flour. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and egg. Add cooled browned butter and mix to combine. Add in baking soda and mix to combine. Fold in the flour and oat mixture until just combined. Stir in add-ins. Drop a cookie scoop onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Enjoy the pumpkin-ness!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

More pumpkin! So far, these may be my fave pumpkin creation this year. I first tried the recipe as-is on Annie's Eats but I just redid them on Monday and I think they've really hit their stride now! You must try these this season, they're not your average doodle!

Recipe
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (adapted from Annie's Eats)

3 3/4c flour
1 1/2t baking powder
1/2t salt
1/2t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg
1t pumpkin pie spice
2 sticks butter, softened
1c sugar
1/2c dark brown sugar
3/4c pumpkin puree
1 egg
2t vanilla bean paste (or extract)

Coating:
1/2c sugar
1t cinnamon
1/2t ginger
dash of allspice
1t pumpkin pie spice

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin puree. Beat in egg and vanilla bean paste until combined. Beat in dry ingredients on low until just combined.

Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine sugar and spices in a wide, shallow bowl. Scoop Balls of dough, roll them in your hands until smooth, and then roll them in the coating. Place the balls evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Once the sheet is full, take a glass and wet the bottom. Dip the bottom in the coating and then smoosh the dough balls until ~1cm thick. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Espresso Cupcakes

Once the pumpkin kick starts, there's no stoppin it! I'm in full-blown pumpkin mode and I'm pretty pumped about it. I made some really delicious cupcakes last night that were a really big hit at the office yesterday. If you like pumpkin spice lattes (who doesn't?!) then you will like these cupcakes. I changed up the topping from the orginal recipe and I think it was for the better!

Recipe
Pumpkin Espresso Cupcakes (original from Annie's Eats)

Cupcakes:
1 1/3c flour
1 1/2T espresso powder
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2t cinnamon
1/16t nutmeg
1/16t cloves
1/2t salt
1c pumpkin puree
1/2c sugar
1/2c dark brown sugar
1/2c oil
2 eggs

Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
1t pumpkin pie spice
2T caramel
powdered sugar

Cupcakes:
Preheat to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the flour to the large bowl in 2 additions. Mix until just incorporated. Fill liners 2/3 full and bak ~14 minutes. Cool on rack completely.

Frosting:
Beat butter, spice, and caramel until smooth. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Brown Butter Blondies with White Chocolate Chips

 Christine asked me the other day if I had any new pumpkin recipes and I realized (gasp!) that I hadn't made any pumpkin goodies yet this year! That couldn't stand so when I came across this recipe for pumpkin and brown butter blondies with white chocolate chips I jumped on the chance to make them. Even if you simply want a freshly scented house, you have to make these. They smell crazy good while baking and taste the same. Although I must say I think all the flavors are better tasted when the blondies are completely cooled as opposed to hot from the oven.

Recipe

Pumpkin and Brown Butter Blondies with White Chocolate Chips (by Raspberri Cupcakes)

1 stick butter

1/2c light brown sugar

1/3c sugar

1 egg

1t vanilla

1/2c pumpkin puree

1c flour

1t salt

3/4t cinnamon

1/8t allspice

1/8t ground nutmeg

1.5c white chocolate chips

Preheat to 350F. Cut butter into 1T cubes and place in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the butter melts. Continue to heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter bubbles. continue stirring until the butter turns a light brown color and smells nutty. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN. You must watch the butter very carefully and stir constantly to avoid burning the butter as it goes from brown to black very quickly. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars until smooth. Add browned butter and whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Add flour, salt, and spices. Stir until just mixed, do not over beat. Fold in white chocolate chips. Pour batter into a parchment paper-lined 8"x8" pan. Bake ~30 minutes or until set. Remove blondies from pan via the parchment paper and cool completely on rack.

Hope this get you in the Fall spirit! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

So, a week ago we had a freak cool temp week here in Houston. By cool temps I mean 85 during the day and as low as 68 at night!!! This was an amazing respite from our record-breaking who-knows-how-many 100+F days in a row. I was so chilly I even indulged in a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (eeeeee!!!!). I know the rest of the world loves their 'Indian Summers' but in H-town there's nothing better than a faux Fall (besides perhaps a real Fall) and I rolled with the Fall spirit by making some pumpkin cinnamon rolls with some caramel sauce, yum! Take a looksie:





Now my rolls were no longer hot by the time I got around to putting the glaze on, so be sure to check out the irresistible-ness of the ones over at The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Recipe
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Carmel Glaze (from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Rolls
1/3c milk
2T butter
1/2c pumpkin puree
2T sugar
1/4t nutmeg
1T pumpkin pie spice
1/2t salt
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg dry yeast
2c bread flour
1/2c brown sugar
2t ground cinnamon
2T melted butter

Glaze
1/4c butter
1/2c brown sugar
2T milk
1/4t vanilla
1/4t pumpkin pie spice
1 dash salt
3/4c sifted powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, heat milk and 2T butter until butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. In a large mixer bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add milk mixture to large bowl and beat until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast. Add half of the flour to the bowl. Beat on low speed for 5 min, scraping the sides frequently. Add remaining flour and mix thoroughly. Turn dough into lightly greased bowl, then grease the surface lightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (~1 hour). Punch dough down. Spray a surface with cooking spray and knead dough a few turns to make a smooth dough. Roll dough into a 12"x10" rectangle. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Brush surface of dough with melted butter, then sprinkle surface with brown sugar mixture. At the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up into a jellyroll. With a sharp knife, cut roll into 1 inch slices (or 12 pieces). Place rolls in a greased pan and cover. Let rise until nearly doubled, 30-45 minutes. Bake rolls at 350F for 15 minutes.

Glaze:
In a saucepan, heat butter until melted, add brown sugar and milk. Cook over med/low heat for 1 minute. Transfer to mixer bowl and add remaining ingredients. Beat until well blended. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

In addition to the trial run of the banana cupcakes, I also made some pumpkin cream cheese bars for myself this weekend. I need to start reading recipes because I assume they are for 8x8 pans and then they call for 13x9 pans and suddenly I've got way more goodies than I can eat. This time I messed up and should have cooked these babies longer so the middles were ruined and I ended up keeping both pans of bars. Anywho, they were still delicious despite a little center under cooking. Here are some pictures to get you excited for Halloween and fall and pumpkin flavors:



Recipe (from Grin and Bake it!)

6T butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2c sugar
2 lg eggs
1 c pumpkin
1/3c water
1 3/4c flour
1 1/2t cinnamon
1t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1/2t nutmeg

Cream Cheese Mixture

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 lg egg
1/4c sugar


Preheat to 325F.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, pumpkin, and water until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg. Mix dry ingredients into the large bowl until well blended. Pour into a buttered and floured 13"x9" pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, and sugar until smooth. Drop cream cheese mixture in evenly spaced spoonfuls into batter in pan. Pull a knife through the batter to create swirls. Bake for about 30 minutes (25 is definitely not enough). Let cool in pan.

First Day of Fall!

My calendar says "Autumn Begins" today and those words couldn't make me any happier! As an addition to the fall-inspired goodies I've been baking lately I have made Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies for this wondrous occasion! And, if I do say so myself, they are pretty friggin delicious! I also celebrated the beginning of fall by buying 4 bags of Halloween candy and setting out all my Halloween/Fall decorations. I've already been burning a pumpkin candle for a few weeks so hopefully with that and all the pumpkin baking my place should smell less like Baloo and more like Fall. Here are some pictures of the cookies:



Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction):

2c flour
1 1/2c old-fashioned oats
1t baking soda
1 1/2t cinnamon
1t pumpkin pie spice
1/2t kosher salt
1c (2 sticks) butter, softened
1c packed brown sugar
1c sugar
1c pumpkin puree
1 lg egg
1t vanilla extract
1c white chocolate chips
1c dried cranberries

Preheat to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture, combine until all ingredients are just incorporated. Stir in white chocolates and cranberries.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then cool on racks fully.

I was hoping this recipe would be a good one for deployment packages in the fall, but they are pretty flimsy so I don't think they will travel really well. That being said, they are like thanksgiving dessert in your mouth with the pumpkin and cranberry- sooo amazing! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip

Phew I've been busy lately! I haven't posted much since Christine's wedding, whoopsies. Well I tried the most delicious recipe the other day. It was so delicious that I made it again this weekend and have been distributing them amongst my friends. I loooove pumpkin and all things Fall/Autumn in general so I decided to get things started a bit early this year. The original recipe was for pumpkin chocolate chip bars from Bake at 350, but I also made pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes with dark chocolate icing and spiced cream cheese icing. All were delicious but I think I would like just plain muffins next time, the recipe is a bit dense for cupcakes. Here are some pics of the different goodies:




Here is the recipe from Bake at 350:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins/Bars/Whatever Pan you have around

2c flour
1 1/2t cinnamon
3/4t ginger
1/2t allspice
1/8t cloves (you can also leave this out-I usually do)
1t baking soda
3/4t salt
1c unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4c sugar
1 egg
2t vanilla
1c pumpkin puree
12oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease/spray/line your pan. (This recipe will make 2 8x8 pans or 24 muffins)

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in pumpkin puree. It will look curdled, no worries.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into pan. Bake ~30min for bars ~18min for muffins. Cool completely in pan.

September Means Fall Weather!

I'm so excited for September because that means Autumn-my fave season- (Sept 22nd) and cooler weather. So, all these great knits I've been doing all during the hot summer will actually be able to get some use! I just finished this really great baby hat last night:



It's from another Ravelry pattern: HAT! I'm thinking of adding some knit flowers to the side to liven it up a bit. I can't wait to see how it looks on an actual baby because you'll be able to see the ruffle a bit better. This hat was one of my favorites to knit because it's pure cashmere! This should fit approximately an 18 month old :)