Apple Cinnamon Snack Cake

We just needed some cinnamon comfort food tonight.

Cake Batter:
2½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1¼ cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
2 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cut into small pieces

Cinnamon Filling:
2 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbl butter, melted
2 Tbl milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350°. Spray 13”x9” pan with non-stick spray. In small bowl, combine ingredients for cinnamon filling, set aside. In another small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside. In large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, mix until combined. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix just until combined.

Spoon 2/3 of batter into pan, spread evenly. Sprinkle chopped apple pieces evenly all over the batter. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar filling evenly over apples. Drop tablespoon size amounts of remaining batter evenly over cinnamon filling.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Dessert

Who says pumpkin desserts are just for Fall, they tastes really good during quarantine too.

1½ cups crushed gingersnaps* (about 30 cookies)
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 can (15oz) pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
5 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
nutmeg
maple syrup
whipped cream

In a small bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of a greased 13×9-in. baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, cinnamon and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust; sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of baking dish to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares; serve with syrup, if desired (I forgot the maple syrup in the picture!) and whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Recipe from tasteofhome.com.
*I used Biscoff cookies, chocolate cookies would be good too.

PB&J Bars

I feel like making a treat, looking around for what I have in the kitchen and here we go! Chewy peanut butter and raspberry jam goodies, I am a sucker for raspberry anything.

2¼ cups brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
2¾ cups flour
2½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup peanuts, optional
3/4 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl, by hand, mix brown sugar and melted butter. Add eggs, mix well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix just until combined. Stir in peanut butter chips, and peanuts. Spread 1/2 of batter in sprayed 9″x13″ baking pan. Gently spread raspberry jam over batter layer, careful to get jam almost to edge of pan without touching. Layer the remaining batter on top of jam by flattening spoonfuls and laying evenly over the entire surface, take a few minutes and patience, but it works. Bake 30-35 minutes or until center is set and edges start to brown. Cool completely for clean cutting. The bars tasted even better to me the next day.

More Yummy Bars:

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie isn’t just for Thanksgiving, it’s for quarantine too! This is recipe #4 of kingarthurflour.com Best Basic Recipe Collection. I’m enjoying baking my way through this collection, it’s delicious!

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbl flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp pepper, optional
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups (15oz can) pumpkin
1¼ cups light cream or evaporated milk
1 single pie crust, your favorite or King Arthur single pie crust

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, salt, and spices. In a large measuring cup, beat together the eggs, pumpkin, and cream or evaporated milk. Whisk into the dry ingredients. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate the filling overnight before baking. Roll the pie dough out to a 13″ circle, and transfer to the pan. Crimp the edges above the rim; this will give you a little extra headroom to hold the filling when it expands in the oven. Refrigerate the crust while the oven preheats to 400°F.

When the oven is hot, place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set 2″ in from the edge. The center should still be wobbly. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack; the center will finish cooking through as the pie sits.

My other favorite pies: Pie Pie Pie!

Single Layer Chocolate Cake

This is recipe #2 of kingarthurflour.com Best Basic Recipe Collection. So easy to stir it together, bake, frost and serve right from the pan. Simple, simple! The one thing I would change next time I make this, is to make half the amount of icing. As you can tell from the photo there is plenty of frosting!

Cake
1½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup cold water

Icing
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8″ square or 9″ round pan that’s at least 2″ deep. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the vanilla, vinegar, vegetable oil, and water in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Serve the cake right from the pan; warm from the oven, it’s wonderful with a big glass of milk. Or, once cool, frost the cake with this simple chocolate frosting: Heat the chocolate chips with the half-and-half until the chips melt. Stir until smooth, and pour/spread over the cake. For a non-dairy icing, substitute 1/3 cup cold brewed coffee (or water) for the half-and-half.

Favorite Pies!

Here is what I am making to take for our family’s Thanksgiving dinner. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with delicious PIES!

Lemon Truffle Pie is a tart, sweet, creamy addition for any occasion. This has become a favorite to make whenever we get together as a family.

Cherry Apple Pie is a three-generation family favorite. In fact, when it is my oldest son’s birthday, this is his request instead of cake.

Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Pie is a chocolate lover’s delight! Totally worth the work and the calories.

My Pumpkin Eggnog Pie has one simple change to the old favorite, substitute eggnog for the milk in the good ol’ pumpkin pie recipe. For another flavorful twist, this year I think I will put the filling in a ginger snap crumb crust.

This recipe for Old Fashioned Raisin Pie is my dad’s favorite, it is also one of the most viewed recipes on my website.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge Cream Pie is a recipe I made up back in 2012. If you love peanut butter, chocolate and pie, your tastebuds will be very happy!

My Favorite Brownies

If I had to name my favorite chocolate dessert, the words that would come racing out of my mouth would be Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies. I usually make them only when I am giving them away, otherwise I am in big trouble! I Love Love Love Brownies!

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups sugar
1 Tbl vanilla
4 eggs
1½ cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13″x9″ baking pan with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray. In large bowl, stirring by hand, mix melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, dark cocoa, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes (ovens vary but I alway bake them 45 min), until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely for easiest and cleanest cutting. Oh, and use these brownies for a brownie sundae…amazing!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars

It’s been a while since I’ve been here and it’s good to be back! Since my last post, I have become a grandmother of four, yes four! We also moved, we now live up in the mountains in California and we are loving it. It’s a whole new chapter of our lives. I am enjoying my new kitchen and it’s gotten me really excited about baking new recipes. I have made chocolate chip cookies a few times lately, tweaking the recipe each time. Then, I started thinking about cheesecake and how I would really like to combine chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake. So, here you have it, my crazy thoughts coming at you as Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars!

Cheesecake Layer:
2 (8oz) cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Chip Layers:
2½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 9X13 baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Make cheesecake layer by creaming together cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, set aside. Make the chocolate chip layer; mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl, set aside. In large bowl, cream butter, sugar, brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, mix just until combine and stir in mini chocolate chips.

Spread 2/3 of chocolate chip mixture in bottom of prepared pan (I drop spoonfuls in, spray fingers with nonstick spray and gently spread). Pour cream cheese mixture over chocolate chip layer and gently spread to make even layer. Using your hands (this is another messy part) add remaining chocolate chip mixture to pan by putting small pieces evenly all over the top of cheesecake layer. There will be enough to almost cover but you do want to see cheesecake layer peeking through. Bake for 38 to 40 minutes or until just golden brown. Cool completely. Remove from pan to cutting board, lifting with foil. Remove foil and cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Coconut Lemon Mini Cupcakes

These little babies were well received at Book Club and work. So light, they couldn’t possibly have too many calories or be bad for you!

Coconut Cupcakes
1 box white cake mix
1 cup coconut, processed in food processor
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1½ cups coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350° and put mini cupcake papers in mini cupcake pan. With electric mixer, mix cake mix, coconut, eggs, oil, and coconut milk for 2 minutes. Scoop batter into prepared cupcake pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes, until top is set and springs bake when touched. Cool completely before frosting.
Makes approx. 48 mini cupcakes.

Lemon Buttercream
1 cup butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
1 lemon, finely zest and squeeze juice
2-3 Tbl cream
yellow food color
coconut

Beat butter with electric mixer for 5 minutes until creamy lighter in color. Add powdered sugar, zest. Add enough food color, cream and juice to make desired color, consistency and taste. Pipe onto completely cool cupcakes, and dip frosted top of cupcake in bowl of coconut.

Pumpkin Spice Baked Doughnuts

My daughter Lindsay is visiting and we have been taste testing all things pumpkin spice. Have you noticed all the products in the stores? Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, Pumpkin Spice Lindor Truffles, Pumpkin Spice Kisses, Pumpkin Spice Ghirardelli Squares, Pumpkin Spice Oreos, Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal, Pumpkin Spice Life Cereal, Pumpkin Spice Jell-O Pudding, Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars. No, we did not eat all of that. Lindsay did make Pumpkin Spice Baked Doughnuts, and we did eat them, yummy!

Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Batter:
1 box yellow cake mix
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp clove
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3 Tbl melted butter

Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon, clove, allspice, and nutmeg. Add pumpkin, eggs and melted butter; mix until well combined. Set aside, make streusel.

Streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbl melted butter

In separate bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted butter.
Spoon batter into doughnut baking pan, filling each ring halfway. Sprinkle streusel over batter in each doughnut ring. Bake for 10 minutes.

 

More Pumpkin Goodness: