Pumpkin Pie Muffins

These came out so well, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to make and double this recipe (an accident, added too much pumpkin...). These are great if you have any left over canned pumpkin.

 The recipe is by Pioneer Woman and they are tasty!

Ingredients

Muffins:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 - 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoonground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons of butter, cut into chunks

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 -1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Frosting:

1/4 cup softened butter

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 pound powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined. 

Pour into a greased muffin pan—batter hardly ever fills all twelve unless you keep it down to 1/2 full. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar-nutmeg mixture over the top of each unbaked muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. Ice with cream cheese frosting.

To make the frosting, mix all ingredients on high until soft and whipped. Spread onto completely cooled muffins, or place into a large pastry bag with a large star tip and go crazy! Store in the fridge, as icing will soften at room temperature.

 And here they are, freshly frosted!

Yum!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Yummm

So my staff were total studs on freshman and upperclassman move-in and for it I'm making them treats. These treats to be exact. 

They are cinnamon roll cookies :) 

What You'll Need:

- 1 (.25 ounce) package active yeast

- 1/4 cup warm water

- 1 cup all purpose flour

- 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, divided

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled

- 1 egg yolk

- 2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted

What To Do:

- In a small bowl mix yeast with warm water and set aside to soften. Meanwhile, sift the flour, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut n the butter using a pastry blender or two forks until only small crumbles remain. Combine the milk, egg yolk and softened yeast in a small bowl and add to the flour mixture. Mix well and cover the bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 2 hours or more.

- preheat oven to 400 degrees

- in a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.

- Place dough on a lightly floured cutting board and knead for about 1 minute. Roll out into a 10x18 inch rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle three fourths of the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough. Beginning at one 18-inch side (the longer side), roll dough jelly-roll-style to close. Cut roll into 1 1/4 inch slices and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Gently press slices to flatten out a bit. Brush tops of all slices with melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mix. 

-Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. 

They are like mini, flat cinnamon roles- try it! 

XOXO 

Strawberry Cheesecake

This was a simple recipe that was easy to follow and provided a great finished product!

What You'll Need:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 (10 oz) frozen strawberry packages, thawed
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 eggs
1 Tbsp water


What You Do:

Start with the crust. Either crush yourself or use a food processor to create the graham cracker crumbs. Combine crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into the bottom of an ungreased 9 in. springform pan. Or, if you don't have one, as I didn't, in a 9"x9" glass baking pan. Refrigerate for 30 min.

In a blender, or that same food processor (works great), combine strawberries and cornstarch; cover and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan; bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup sauce. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk. Add the lemon juice- make sure to mix completely in before adding eggs. Beat on low until all three eggs are combined.

Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over crust. Drop half of the reserved strawberry mixture by 1/2 tablespoonfuls, or if your me, use it all and have to retrieve more of the strawberry mixture from the fridge. Spoon the rest of the cream cheese mixture over sauce and drizzle more strawberry mixture over the top to make it look pretty. If you want to be super fancy you can run a knife through to create a V-like pattern with the strawberry sauce.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife carefully around the edge of the pan to loosen and make it easier to serve. Cool for 1 hour longer and then serve or pop in fridge overnight.

The extra sauce is super yummy to serve with cheesecake slices :)

I usually have pictures, but this one was eaten before I got to capture it on film. Guess I'll just have to make another one!

Easy Fruit 'Pie'

So when I was traveling abroad my favorite treat was this little fruit tart with vanilla custard and layers of fruit around the top. I have crafted my own full 'pie' that takes the idea and makes it easy and tasty! 

What you'll need:

1 box of instant pudding, vanilla

2 cups milk (for instant pudding)

1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust

Seasonal fruit (I like to use strawberries, bananas, kiwis, peaches, and blueberries)

What to do:

It's so easy and quick you won't believe it! 

prepare instant pudding and let sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator. After it has set pour into your crust. 

Cut up fruit and start at the middle, layering in circles alternating fruit until you reach the edge of the pie. Cover and refrigerate. After about an hour its easy to cut and serve. It's great for outdoor BBQs or summer parties. 

  

Along with the pie I also like to make sangria, or in this case virgin sangria. All it takes is sprite and cut up citrus fruits. Let sit for an hour in the fridge and then serve. It's refreshing and goes well with the pie!

Enjoy! 

XOXO

Crack Cookies

So they are really called Crinkle Cookies, you might recognize them from Christmas time, but my Hall Council and RA's like to refer to them as 'crack cookies' since they are super hyper after they eat a few.

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup veggie oil

1 cup Hershey's cocoa

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

powdered sugar

Here's how:

combine sugar and oil in large bowl; add cocoa, beating until well blended. 

Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Gradually add to cocoa mixture, beating well. It's going to get thick and climb the beaters like bread, so make sure you have a spatula on hand and a strong mixer.

It should look like this when all ingredients are combined. Cover and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 6-8 hours.  

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (take a regular spoon and use it as your measure) and roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet- they will spread.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly and tops are crackled. Cool and remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Enjoy! 

XOXO

Passing of an Era

So my mixer finally died. It's from the 70's and passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and my mother to me when I entered college. 

I'm sad to see it go, but it means I can get a new mixer, from this decade! 

I have my eye on this beauty. It's a KitchenAid 5 gallon mixer. Unfortunately I have to save up for the $280.00 gouge to my pocketbook. 

Wheat Rolls

I love baking in the afternoon and making my apartment and our wing smell like fresh bread and a little like home. Below is the easiest roll recipe I have made and the rolls always turn out well. Have fun and enjoy people slowly gathering in your kitchen from the smell.

What you need:

3/4 Cup milk

3/4 Cup water

1/2 Cup white sugar

1 Teaspoon salt

2 Eggs

5 Teaspoons active dry yeast (about two packets of store bought yeast)

5 Cups all-purpose flour (I used wheat flour)

1/2 Cup margarine, melted (I used real, unsalted butter)

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm milk, water, sugar and salt. 

Remove from heat, and mix in the eggs and yeast.

Measure flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, 

and pour milk mixture into it. Do not stir. Cover with a lid, and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes.

Should look close to this after 30 minutes

Pour melted margarine into flour, and mix well. Add more flour if too sticky. Knead lightly. Cover, and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes.

Shape the dough into rolls, and place on a baking sheet. Let rise again for 20 to 30 minutes.

Bake rolls in a preheated 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes, or until done.

I recommend jam. Enjoy.