Pumpkin Bars - October 28, 2012

I'm not even sure where I got this recipe, but I've had it for a looooong time. It's a good one though, so I'm keeping it forever.

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:
Mix the first 4 ingredients together and then sift the rest of the ingredients into the first mixture and mix until completely combined and there are no lumps. Pour into a greased & floured 12x18'' pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese
3/4 stick of softened butter
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and milk together until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and at the consistency that you want. Frost the pumpkin bars with the frosting.

See how perfect that little bar came out? I just got a new baking toy from Pampered Chef. Their new brownie pans are super awesome and allow you to bake cakes, bars, breads, etc in little individual servings instead of in a huge pan where you then have to cut it. I can never cut bars, so this pan is my new BFF. :)

Husband Review:

He ate 6 of them one day... and I ate 4. Think we like them? ;)

Apple Streusel Cake - October 21, 2012

This recipe is another pinterest find. I'm finding a lot of yummy recipes from this blog, so you should definitely check it out.

Apple Streusel Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:

for the cake-
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup peeled, diced apple (1/4 inch pieces)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the streusel-
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts

for the glaze-
3 oz. softened cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons softened margarine or butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk, or enough to make it a glazing consistency

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and pour all wet ingredients in. Slowly start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Toss in apple pieces and stir. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients for streusel together until butter pieces are small chunks found throughout mixture. Sprinkle over top of cake and bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and cool.

Before serving, whip cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and runny. Add the milk slowly until desired drizzling consistency is reached. Un-hinge spring form pan and place cake on serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and serve.

Husband Review:

I made this for a bake sale, so we weren't actually able to dig in to this cake... but fear not! I had some leftover ingredients so I made some Apple Streusel mini cupcakes so we could try them. The husband and I thought they were very good, but the little one did not care for them. I think she was freaked out by the streusel on top. I cut my apples really small because I don't care for the texture of chunks in my foods. You could probably drizzle this with caramel too and it would be very yummy.

Butterfinger Dessert - October 14, 2012

My parents have made this for a dish to pass for as long as I can remember. It's super sweet, but it's yummy. It's better if you make it and let it sit overnight so all the flavors melt into the angel food cake. MMMM!

Butterfinger Dessert

Ingredients:

2 angel food cakes (We used to use just 1, but the stores make them so small now. Boo!)

6 crushed Butterfingers (Do you love Butterfinger? Use more then!)

1 pt. Cool Whip. (Is that the big one? Use the big one)

1/4 C. butter

2 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Fold Cool Whip into mixture. Put a layer of crumbled cake into a serving dish/bowl, then a layer of the cream mixture, then a layer of the crushed Butterfinger. Repeat layers until you can't repeat no more. Make sure to end with a layer of crushed Butterfinger. Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight before serving.

Husband Review:

Dan is a big fan of this. His mom used to make it when he was younger too, so it holds some sentimental value to him. I make it once a year every year for his birthday. This is super sweet, so you shouldn't eat too much of it, but it has been known to be eaten at one sitting by my husband. He didn't feel too great after that.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies - October 7, 2012

Pinterest, Pinterest, how I love you, oh Pinterest!

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)
• When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.
• Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

 

Remember the little note above saying that you "really need parchment paper"?? Well, it's not a lie. The caramel can ooze out of some cookies and if you'd ever worked with caramel (or ate caramel) before, you know it's super sticky. If you don't use parchment paper, you'll regret it. Check out the oozing below.

Husband Review:

Oooh, these were good and the hubby really enjoyed them. I originally made them for my friend to take up north with him to his parent's house, but he forgot, so we had to eat them. On the site that posted the recipe, there is a picture of a cookie sitting on the lip of a cup of tea. Imagine, if you will, sitting by the fireplace with a cup of tea (or apple cider, or coffee, or hot chocolate) and setting a cookie on the lip so that the steam from the drink warms the cookie and makes the caramel on the inside a bit melty. These are the perfect fall cookie. MAKE THEM!