Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake

I got this recipe from AllYou magazine and it's a keeper! Moist, nice crumb topping, PUMPKIN! My girls helped me make and eat this yummy treat. This is even better the next day. Did I mention it's very moist and the crumb topping is WONDERFUL?



Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake



Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces




Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten


Preparation
1. Make topping: In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add butter and combine with fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate while making batter.




2. Make cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, pumpkin, vanilla and both sugars until well mixed. Whisk in eggs. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined; do not over mix. Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with reserved topping.


3. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack at least 20 minutes.





This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Do You Puree?

I love when Halloween passes and I get hold of the pumpkins. This year we never made it around it carving them which makes it a bit easier. Usually we carve right before Halloween so they are still fresh to use. If you have never used your pumpkin - try it - it's easy!


Pumpkin Puree


Stem, quarter, and remove the seeds from the pumpkin. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet skin side up. Bake at 350 until tender (about 45 minutes for these little guys). Cool completely. Scrape the flesh from the skin into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Use or freeze.

I have a "pumpkin" tag on my side bar if you want to find my favorite ways to use it. Make these Pumpkin Spice Scones. You won't be disappointed!

And this just in...100 Ways to Cook a Pumpkin. Oh my goodness. I shouldn't have found this.

Now on to these.....


There's a few days left to enter my giveaways!
Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)
Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)
Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Another pumpkin recipe that I couldn't pass up, a copycat of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Scones. Amazing. Moist. Bliss. Despite the long list of ingredients (lots of spices) and directions, they are easy to throw together. Make them today, eat one, freeze a couple and give the rest away. Share the joy. Tis the season? Right?

I just drop the scone dough by spoonfuls instead of making it into a nice round or rectangle to cut wedges. I'm all for the easy way (it tastes the same :).

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

7 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (all spice works too)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 Tablespoons cold butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3 Tablespoons half-and-half (or cream, milk, whatever)

1 large egg

Sugar Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons whole milk (cream, half and half, whatever)

Spiced Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

(I could drink this it's SO yummy)

Scone Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor (SO easy this way), cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.

6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).

8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.

9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.

10. Bake for 14–16 minutes until scones turn light brown.

11. Place on wire rack to cool.

Sugar Glaze directions:

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoon milk together until smooth.

2. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.

Spiced Glaze Directions:

1. As sugar glaze firms, combine the spiced icing ingredients.

2. Use whisk to drizzle over each scone and allow to dry before serving.

Makes 6 pumpkin scones.

This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy

Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)
Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)
Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I've been seeing this recipe all over blogland and had to try it. I'm a black coffee kind of girl so was a little hesitant that it would be too sweet. Wrong. So yummy. So much like fall. A great way to use up the pumpkin you opened for other recipes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

makes 1-2 servings

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute - you can halve this amount

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-2 shots espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee ( I add a packet of instant coffee to my already brewed coffee)

Directions:In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don't have a blender, don't worry about it - just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top. Swoon.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

This post has also been linked to:
Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy
Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie
Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)
Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Pumpkin Waffles

I'm still on my pumpkin kick. Use your own waffle recipe (mine: boxed Krustez Belgium waffle mix) add a few tablespoons pumpkin puree and a few pinches pumpkin pie spice. Maple Syrup. Perfect combination.

Tempt my Tummy - Pumpkin Whoopie Pie

If I started today and made one pumpkin recipe from now until Thanksgiving, I still wouldn't have enough days to try every one that I would like. No other season brings such a craving for particular foods. Fall brings pumpkin and apple and all sorts of recipes.

My first pumpkin recipe this year was a HUGE success. I've already bought the ingredients to make them again. This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker mini cookbooks you see in line at the grocery store. I never buy them but this one was sent to me from Betty Crocker (I can't remember why) and I marked 16 recipes to try right away! What a great little magazine. It's the one with Bakerella's Cake Pops on the cover. I made those last year and they were a big hit!

My first time using a scoop for cookies.....why, oh why, did it take me so long? See how pretty and uniform they are (and appropriately sized, I make some huge cookies).

So on to the recipe - PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES.

SO very wonderful. Easy to make. Taste terrific.

Gave them all away because I would have eaten every last one of them!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

cookies:

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1 T all-purpose flour

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup softened butter

2 t cinnamon

1 egg

Filling:

2/3 cup marshmallow creme

1/3 cup softened butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, stir together cookie mix and flour. Add remaining cookie ingredients; stir until a stiff dough forms.

2. Onto ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by 36 rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart. Lightly press tops with floured fingertips to flatten slightly.

3. Bake 8 to 0 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes, remove to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes

4. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer until light and fluffy(I don't own one so used my stand mixer, same with the dough). For each whoopie pie, spread 2 teaspoons of filling on the bottom side of one cookie. Top with second cookie and gently press together. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

This didn't make quite enough filling for mine. Also, they are best when eaten at room temperature (not that I would turn away a cold one). If you store them in the refrigerator give them plenty of time to come to room temp before serving.

This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy

Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy

Hon, What's for Dinner Wednesday

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Kids in the Kitchen - Pumpkin Seeds!

I tore out recipes for spiced pumpkin seeds from the last issue of Redbook and I found a keeper! The Sugar and Spice seeds are so very good. They will be a holiday tradition in this house. I'm not actually sure if anyone else likes them but the baby and I cannot get enough :) I would try the savory recipes but would feel bad if they weren't nearly as good. We had fun with this recipe. Even Little Bit joined in (as she always tried to do).

Sugar and Spice Seeds
Ingredients
1 cup(s) pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoon(s) melted unsalted butter
3 tablespoon(s) sugar
1 teaspoon(s) pumpkin-pie spice
1 pinch(s) kosher salt
Directions
Clean pumpkin seeds: Rinse under cold water and remove all the pulpy strings. (This is best done before the pulp dries.) Dry seeds thoroughly.
Roast pumpkin seeds: Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Toss seeds with melted unsalted butter, sugar, pumpkin-pie spice, and kosher salt. Place on prepared baking sheet and roast 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned.

Separating the seeds from the goo.

Playing with the goo. Getting the goo on the floor.OK.....I felt like a cooking show. After separating the seeds you are supposed to let them dry, which I find takes a few days. I had roasted a pumpkin a few days earlier so had dried seeds on hand...we used those so we could do all the steps at once. The ones that she just separated will have to dry a few days.

Mixing in the spices. Posing. Cheesing.The finished product in all of their glory.

Go over to A Little Fun With Me and Lu to check out more Kids in the Kitchen posts!

Holiday French Toast

If you are planning a special breakfast for the holidays, make it easy on yourself. As a tradition, we use Hawiian Bread (you can find it by the deli) for our holiday frech toast...but that's not the best part (or maybe it is, but that isn't what my post is about). Last year I had some left over flavored coffee creamer from a get together. I like my coffee black so was not going to use it the conventional way. Always looking for new ideas to make normal things extraordinary (I was probably out of milk) I used the creamer in my french toast mixture. So different, but so good!

There are a ton of flavors out there to make your french toast festive. How about Belgium White Chocolate Macadamia, Southern Butter Pecan, White Chocolate Raspberry, or Mocha Almond Fudge. They have sugar free and fat free choices as well. I went with the Vanilla Caramel, as I didn't know how adventurous my little ones would be. Also, I'm not a huge fan of chocolate for breakfast. Substitute it for the milk you add to any french toast recipe. It really does give it a kick.

I don't have a set recipe for french toast. Just throw together some eggs and creamer. I usually add sugar, vanilla and spices, but because there is already sugar and flavoring in the creamer you can skip it. Need a french toast recipe? Go to RecipeZaar to find one that fits you.

Just think of the possibilities.

Hazelnut, Eggnog, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Spice, Tiramisu.....

Check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday for some more holiday recipes!

Not Crazy About Crust

I've never been a big fan of crust (making it or eating it), therefore pumpkin pie is only the pumpkin filling for me. Last week I found a recipe long hidden in my recipe box. I think it came from one of my old church cookbooks because it's name is....The GREAT Pumpkin Dessert! How original :) I made this for my small group but with the disclaimer "I'm really not sure how this will all turn out." Lucky for me, the group is OK with experimental desserts. It was so much better than pumpkin pie because, instead of a crust, it had a crunchy and sweet topping. And did I mention that it is very, very easy?? Bonus!



THE GREAT PUMPKIN DESSERT

One can pumpkin (15 oz)
One can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
One yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted

In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, condensed milk, eggs, and spice until smooth. Pour into 9" x 13" dish. Dump yellow cake mix (dry) on top of the pumpkin mixture. Pour butter as evenly as possible over the top. Bake at 350°F for one hour or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

P.S. The picture is of some pumpkin cupcakes that I had made for Emma's kindergarten class.