Glazed Pumpkin Muffin

Pumpkin Glazed Muffins
Nina

Muffins:
1/4 C salted butter, softened
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 C pumpkin puree
2 2/3 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t nutmeg
2 t cinnamon
3/4 t salt
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t cloves
1 C Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Glaze:
3 T melted butter
1 C powder sugar
1 t vanilla
2 to 3 T Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line cupcake tray with liners.

With a mixer beat butter, oil and sugars until smooth.  Add eggs and beat until fluffy.  Add pumpkin puree and vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt and pumpkin spice creamer and mix until smooth.

Spoon batter into liners (mine made 15 muffins).  Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until tops spring back when touched.  Let cool 10 minutes and then dip muffin tops in glaze.

Glaze:
Mix all glaze ingredients together until smooth.  Dip cooled muffins in glaze and allow to get hard.  Dip a second time allowing the glaze to harden again before serving.

Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake

I made this Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake for Billy's 23rd Birthday.  I can not believe he is 23, it seems only yesterday that he was living at home and I got to see his smiling face everyday.  Oh how I miss my kids being home.

The cake was super moist and a fudgey chocolate.  I liked the chocolate icing on the chocolate cake. Usually I like white icing on chocolate cake but this icing hit the spot and was perfect on the Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake.

Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake
adapted slightly from Lick the Bowl Good

2 Cup Cherry Dr Pepper
1 Cup cocoa powder
1/2 Cup salted butter
1 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup dark brown sugar
2 Cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease the inside of bundt pan with Crisco and dust pan with flour.

In a small saucepan, heat the Cherry Dr Pepper, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved.  Remove from heat and cook.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined.  Gently fold the flout mixture into the cocoa mixture.  The batter will be slightly lumpy, do not over beat as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.

Cool cake in the pan.  Loosen sides of cake from the pan and turn it out onto a cooling rack.

Dr. Pepper Frosting

1 ounce dark chocolate (60% cocao) melted and cooled slightly
1/4 C salted butter, softened
1/2 t salt
1/8 C Cherry Dr Pepper
1/3 C cocoa powder
1 1/4 C powdered sugar

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with mixer until frosting is shiny and smooth.  Use a spatula to spread fudge frosting over the crown of the bundt  in a thick layer.

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Pumpkin Bars

This season I made my own pumpkin puree from sugar pumpkins.  I always just use pumpkin puree from a can but this year my friend, Marti (Hi Marti) told me how easy it is to make your own pumpkin puree.  The only pumpkins I could find to make puree with was the Sugar Pumpkin however next year I am going to find out what pumpkins Marti uses and try those.

My puree is a light orange/yellow color.  My pumpkin bars are not as dark as usual but the batter did darken up after I added my spices.  I will say these pumpkin bars are the best I have ever made.  I really do think you can tell the difference with using homemade pumpkin puree vs canned.  These bars are really moist but not as strong of a taste as pumpkin bars made with canned pumpkin.

If you are interested in making your own Pumpkin Puree all you need to do is the following.........

cut pumpkins in half and remove the seeds and stringy goop from inside your pumpkins (keep the seeds if you like to make roasted pumpkin seeds, I have not done mine yet but I did save them)

scrape out each side of the pumpkin to remove any remaining goop.

lay pumpkins inside down on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the inside of the pumpkin is tender.

let pumpkins cool and then scrape out the flesh and either puree or mash it.  I put mine through a food mill to get it nice and pureed.

Since I did 2 pumpkins I have extra to freeze.  I just put it in airtight containers and will freeze it until I am ready to use in my Holiday treats.  ( the orange/yellow in square dishes is the pumpkin puree the taller dishes have my apple sauce that I am also putting in the freezer for a winter treat)

Pumpkin Bars

bars:
2 eggs
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup oil
1 Cup pumpkin puree
1 Cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
Glaze:
2 Cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoon whipping cream (or milk)
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in the oil and pumpkin.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.  Pour into a greased 13 x 9.625 ( this is a quarter of a sheet cake pan) Bake for 25 minutes or until done.  When cool ice the bars with the glaze.

Glaze....... With a mixer, mix all the glaze ingredients together and pour over the bars smoothing glaze out with a spatula.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I have a new favorite way to make ice cream.  For my birthday my husband gave me a Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker.  It is so nice to be able to make ice cream on the kitchen counter instead of in the garage with the old ice cream maker that took rock salt and ice.

The first time I used my new ice cream maker I wanted to make Bill's favorite ice cream flavor.  Just before my birthday we had been at a car show and decided to stop at a Amish store on our way home.  While browsing the store I came across LorAnn's  Flavor Fountain flavorings for Ice Cream, Shakes and Smoothies.  I had used LorAnn's oil flavoring before in candy and we decided to give this flavor fountain a try.  This was the BEST Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream I have ever had.  The flavor is so soft and smooth and the mint flavor is so wonderful!!  They have a website and I can not wait to try their other flavors.

I used 2 Cups whipping cream and 1 Cup half and half and I think the ice cream was a little too buttery so the next time I make it I am going to use 2 C half and half and 1 Cup whipping cream.  I also used regular chocolate chips and next time I would prefer to use mini chocolate chips.


Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2 C whipping cream
1 C half and half
3/4 C sugar
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 T LorAnn's Mint Chocolate flavor fountain

Add when almost done churning
1/2 C chocolate chips

Mix together all ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Pour into ice cream maker and make according to your makers instructions.

When the ice cream is almost done add the chocolate chips.  I then put my ice cream in an air tight container and put in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight

If using a Cuisinart maker pour ice cream mixer into the maker and churn for 20 minutes then add the chocolate chips and churn for 5 more minutes.  Pour into an air tight container and place in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight.

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Apple Butter Coffee Cake

This is the best coffee cake I have ever had.  It is super moist and the crumb topping melts in your mouth. The cake reminds me of a dense spice cake.  The apple butter has cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves in it and then the cake batter has cinnamon and nutmeg.  This would be wonderful with a cup of hot mulled apple cider.

Apple Butter Coffee Cake

Topping:

3/4 Cup flour

1/4 Cup white sugar

1/3 Cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 Cup oil

1/2 Cup pecans

Cake:

2 1/2 Cup flour

2/3 Cup white sugar

3/4 Cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 Cup apple butter

1/4 Cup oil

1 Cup sour milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly and set aside.

For the cake, in a mixing bowl add flour, sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, apple butter and oil.  Mix until well combined.  Add sour milk, egg, baking powder and baking soda and mix well until batter if formed.

Pour batter into a 9 X 13 greased baking pan.  Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife poked in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Crock Pot Apple Butter

I made homemade Apple butter and oh how wonderful my house smelled while it was cooking.  I first made home made applesauce earlier in the week then took my applesauce and made Apple Butter with it.

You can use either homemade applesauce or store bought applesauce to make this Apple Butter.  It is super easy, just put applesauce, sugar and some spices in the crock pot and cook on high until apple butter is done.  It goes from being a really runny applesauce to being a darker color and very thick spread.  While it is cooking you leave the crock pot lid off and the smell that is coming out of the pot is wonderful.

I just used 2 cups of applesauce but you can double or quadruple this recipe if you would like, it would just take a little longer to cook if you have more applesauce in your crock pot,

Crock Pot Apple Butter

2 Cups Apple Sauce
1 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

place everything in the crock pot and cook on high with the lid off of the crock pot.  Stir every once in awhile to keep the apple butter from burning on the sides of the crock pot.  Cook for about 4 hours or until the apple butter is thick enough for your liking.