Christmas sugar cookies

These were just for fun--Betty Crocker packaged sugar cookie mix (which, by the way, are delicious!) and a quick homemade sugar cookie frosting. It was fun to have a little helper :)

Merry Christmas!

Triple-Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Apple pie and Pumpkin pie--it's always the same for Thanksgiving. Well, this year, we decided to put a spin on the classic pumpkin and add some tasty chocolate! I mean, who doesn't love chocolate? :D A great idea from my lovely sis, Tania. We found this scrumptious Martha Stewart recipe and had to try it! It was a GREAT change--definitely did not disappoint! Anyone else try anything new this Thanksgiving?

Ingredients:

For the crust: *2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 16 crackers) *3 ounces unsalted butter, melted *1 Tbsp. granulated sugar *2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar *1/2 tsp. coarse salt *1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Followed by the first layer of chocolate: *3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I would use 4 next time--it would be easier to spread)

For the filling: *6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped *2 oz. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces *1 can solid-pack pumpkin *1 can evaporated milk *3/4 c. packed light brown sugar *3 large eggs *1 Tbsp. cornstarch *1 tsp. pure vanilla extract *1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt *3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon *3/4 tsp. ground ginger *1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg *Ground cloves

For the drizzle: *1 oz. milk chocolate, melted

Directions: 1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugars, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Firmly press mixture into bottom and up sides of a DEEP, 9 1/2-inch pie dish (Key word=DEEP...mine wasn't deep enough and I couldn't use all of the filling). Bake until firm, 8-10 minutes.

2. Remove from oven, and sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over bottom on crust. Return to oven to melt chocolate, about 1 minute. Spread chocolate in a thin layer on bottom and up sides. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temp. to 325 degrees.

3. Make the filling: In a microwave safe bowl, melt semisweet chocolate and butter in 30 sec. increments, stirring after each one, until melted. Mix pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves in a medium bowl. Whisk 1/3 pumpkin mixture into chocolate mixture. Whisk in remaining pumpkin mixture until completely incorporated.

4. Transfer pie dish to a rimmed baking sheet, and pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Bake until center is set but still a bit wobbly, 55-60 minutes. Let cool in pie dish on wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours (preferably overnight). Before serving, drizzle melted milk chocolate on top. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Guess who? You never thought you'd hear from me again, right? :) Well, I obviously have been gone for awhile, but am going to try and post more on here. I have still been baking--but it's hard to find the time to do that AND post about it with a toddler! I want to make more time for it though, so here is the latest thing I made.

We celebrated my beautiful friend, Danielle's birthday last night and I decided to make something pumpkiny, you know since it's FINALLY fall weather here! Pumpkin birthday cupcakes? AWESOME.

They turned out so good and they were really easy to make! The perfect fall treat. Please try this recipe and enjoy--you'll love it!

Ingredients for the cupcakes: *2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour *1 tsp. cinnamon *1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg *1/2 tsp. ground ginger *1/2 tsp. cloves *1/2 tsp. allspice *1/2 tsp. salt *1 Tbsp. baking powder *1/2 tsp. baking soda *1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened *1 c. white sugar *1/3 c. brown sugar *2 eggs, at room temp. *3/4 c. milk *1 c. pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tins with liners. Sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, salt, baking powder & baking soda together in a large bowl. Set aside. 2. Beat 1/2 c. butter and sugars with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing each to blend into butter mixture before the next. Stir in milk and pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture just until incorporated. Pour into muffin cups. 3. Bake until golden and tops spring back, around 20 mins. Cool in pans, transfer to write rack to complete cooling.

Ingredients for frosting: *1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened *1 8. oz. pack cream cheese, softened *3 c. confectioners sugar *1 tsp. vanilla extract *1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Beat until fluffy. 2. Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes.

My baby turned 1 on Halloween and I made Mickey Mouse cupcakes for his birthday party!

Happy Father's Day!

His Day Blue Father's Day Card

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, I've been quite busy with having a new baby and all :) But, I did manage to find some time to make a couple things for Thanksgiving!

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

And my oh-so-famous Apple Crisp! Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving :)

Banana Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones

Fresh from the oven...mmm....smells like fall again with these babies that are tasty served warm and with/without jam on the side!

I had a banana I needed to use and found this recipe in one of my baking cookbooks. Very simple to make and they smell so so good! Ingredients: -1 large egg -1/2 c. cold buttermilk -1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour -1 1/3 c. old-fashioned oats -1/3 c. sugar -1 Tbsp. baking powder -1/2 tsp. baking soda -1/4 tsp. salt -1/4 tsp. nutmeg -1 stick plus 2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces -1/2-1 whole banana, cut into small pieces 1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. 2. Stir the egg and buttermilk together.

3. Whisk the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl.

Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour.

Quickly, working with your fingertips, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-sized pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between--and that's just right. 4. Add the chunks of banana to the dough. Pour the egg and buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, comes together. Don't overdo it. 5. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand 8-10 times.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about 5 inches in diameter, cut it into 6 wedges, and place on the baking sheet.

6. Bake for 12-20 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firmish. Transfer to a rack and cool for ~10 minutes before serving, or wait for the scones to cool to room temp. Enjoy!

Lemon Chocolate Cupcakes

This isn't a pumpkiny treat, but I found these cute cupcake liners at Michael's and wanted to use them :)

These cupcakes are just my favorite box lemon cake and chocolate fudge frosting topped with halloweeny sprinkles!

Yum!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Alright, as promised...here is my latest pumpkiny treat! I've made these before, but they haven't been posted to my blog, so I hope you enjoy :)

Ingredients for Cookies: ~2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour ~1 tsp. baking soda ~1 tsp. baking powder ~1 tsp. ground cinnamon ~1 tsp. ground nutmeg ~1/2 tsp. salt ~1 1/2 c. granulated sugar ~1/2 c. butter, softened ~1 c. pumpkin ~1 large egg ~1 tsp. vanilla extract 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment. 2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt in medium bowl.

3. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

4. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. 5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Ingredients for Glaze: ~2 c. sifted powdered sugar ~3 Tbsp. milk ~1 Tbsp. melted butter ~1 tsp. vanilla extract *Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth.

Drizzle onto cookies!

Pumpkiny treats!

Have I ever mentioned fall is my favorite time of year? Haha, I know I have...I recently made my pumpkin chocolate chip loaf and it is scrumptious! I have already posted it on here, but I just wanted to give a heads up for what's to come because I plan on making lots more tasty pumpkin/fall treats (as long as I can anyway!) Next up: Iced Pumpkin Cookies! Mmmm... Anyone have any favorite pumpkin treats?

Ready for Halloween?

I saw these Mickey pumpkin cookies and couldn't pass them up!

Who's ready for Halloween?! :D

Salted Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies

I've been wanting to try some new things for awhile, but it's getting hard being so pregnant and everything haha...I found this cookie recipe in one of my baking books: Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich and it sounded so yummy (well, if you're a peanut butter fan!) Check it out!

Ingredients: -1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour -1/2 tsp. baking soda -3/4 tsp. reg. salt or 1 tsp. coarse sea salt -1 stick unsalted butter, melted -1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar (dark or light) -1/2 c. sugar -1 large egg -1 tsp. pure vanilla extract -1 c. natural chunky peanut butter (not unsalted)--stir well to blend in the oil before measuring -1 c. toffee peanuts, very coarsely chopped *So, first off, I only had regular peanuts in my pantry, so I found a quick recipe to make some toffee nuts! It was really a small mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and sugar and then I coated the nuts and baked them in the oven for about 15 minutes. They smelled so good and are easy to make if you don't have any already on hand!*

To Make the Cookies: 1. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together thoroughly in a medium bowl and set aside. 2. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter with both sugars.

Whisk in the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter. Add the flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until evenly incorporated.

3. Cover the dough and refrigerate for an hour or two, or up to 2 days. 4. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. 5. Pour the chopped nuts into a shallow bowl.

Scoop about 2 level teaspoons of dough for each cookie, shape into a 1-inch ball, and coat heavily with the chopped nuts, pressing in any pieces that fall off, so that there are no bald spots. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.

6. Bake the cookies until they are lightly colored on top, 12-15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. The cookies will seem very soft to the touch, but they will firm up as they cool. Set the baking sheets on a rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks.

Birthday Carrot Cake

Happy Birthday, to my wonderful mom! I made my special carrot cake as per her request--and it turned out dynamite :) What's your favorite birthday cake?

More posts to come soon!

Cupcake #12: New York Vanilla

Well, this is the final cupcake and wraps up the summer project of baking a new cupcake each week! This is a simple vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. It isn't simple in flavor though! It is sweet and tasty and shows how great a cupcake can be even though it may sound plain :) I also topped it with white sprinkles and threw in a little blue (in case I serve them at my baby shower this weekend!)

Ingredients for the cupcake: ~1 c. unsalted butter, room temp. ~1 c. heavy cream ~4 eggs, room temp. and separated into whites and yolks ~1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract ~1/2 tsp. pure almond extract ~2 c. sugar ~1/4 tsp. cream of tartar ~3 c. cake flour ~1/2 tsp. salt ~2 1/2 tsp. baking powder ~2 Tbsp. potato starch To Make the Cupcakes: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place ~20 paper liners in cupcake trays. 2. Cream butter and sugar together in electric mixer until fluffy; about 3-5 minutes. Add extracts. Beat 1 minute.

3. Add egg yolks to batter and beat another 2 minutes. 4. Whisk flour, potato starch, baking powder and salt. Add to batter.

5. Whip cream in cold bowl until soft peaks form, fold into batter. 6. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until bubbles appear, about 1-2 mins. It's better to underwhip than overwhip, because that will make the cake more moist. 7. Fold the egg whites into the batter.

8. Pour the batter into cupcake liners. Fill to the top (if desired) 9. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

10. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to baking racks. Ingredients for Vanilla Buttercream: ~1 c. unsalted butter, softened ~2 1/2 c. powdered sugar ~2 tsp. vanilla extract To Make the Frosting: 1. Cream the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 mins.

2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Frost cooled cupcakes, either with a frosting spatula or by piping frosting onto cupcakes.

Cupcake #11: Taking a Bite Out of Frustration Spice Cupcakes

Well, the cupcake project is almost over! One more week of fun cupcakes and then I'll move on to other treats :) This one is a spice cupcake--reminds me of fall, which is just around the corner :) These cupcakes turned out so pretty!

Ingredients for the cupcake: -1 egg, room temp. -1/2 c. butter, room temp. -1 c. sour milk (add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to milk and let sit 15 mins.) -1 c. brown sugar -2 c. flour -1 tsp. baking soda -1/2 tsp. salt -2 Tbsp. potato starch -1 tsp. cinnamon -1 tsp. nutmeg -1 tsp. cloves To Make the Cupcakes: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place ~12 paper liners into cupcake trays. 2. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Add egg and beat another 2 minutes. Add sour milk and beat until smooth. 4. Whisk flour, potato starch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together. Add flour mixture to batter. Mix until combined.

5. Pour batter into paper liners. Fill to the top and bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 6. Cool for 5 minutes and then place on baking rack.

Ingredients for Sugar Glaze/Frosting: -2 c. powdered sugar -2 to 4 Tbsp. orange juice -2 Tbsp. butter, room temp. -splash of vanilla extract (optional) To Make the Frosting: 1. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl. 2. Gradually add orange juice until the glaze reachers a pourable, but not too thin consistency.

(Add vanilla also, if you'd like) 3. Cream butter into glaze and then frost the cooled cupcakes. (I added a sprinkle of cinnamon on top after they were frosted for decoration!)