Pumpkin Bread

I feel since I was sick for most of the holidays I missed out on all the holiday baking.  So I couldn't resist and made some pumpkin bread.  Cause of course I stocked up on canned pumpkin right before I got sick.

I brought this pumpkin bread to my Tzu Chi sign language practice for everyone.  It was a big hit.  This moist cake was super yummy and who can say no to chocolate chips.  I used my mini loaf pan.  Now this recipe was originally for 2 regular loaf pans but I shoved all the batter into 4 mini loaf pans.  The mini loaves were big but I still like it better than baking normal loaf pans.  I know, I am weird.

Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Eat Cake For Dinner

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 (3oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.  Beat oil, eggs and pumpkin until combined.
3.  Add sugar and mix well.
4.  Add flour and all the spices
5.  Stir in the vanilla pudding mix and chocolate chips.
6.  Pour evenly into 6 greased mini loaf pans.
7.  Bake for about 45 minutes.
8.  Cool in pan for about 10 minutes.  Then cool on a rack.

You can pretty much not go wrong when you add a pudding mix to your batter.  Whatever you make will be moist unless you seriously burn it.  Also, the pudding mix seems to help keep the bread moist longer too.  So it can last for a couple of days ... if people can resist eating it for that long!

Khloe the pup is not fond of gloomy weather.  She is more of a sunshine kind of pup.  We have had some fog and gloomy weather with a little bit of rain.  She hates it.  The pup looks at the window with a sad look on her face.  But gloomy weather is perfect for naps!  It's like the pup is smiling in her sleep.  I wonder what she is dreaming of.  Maybe sunshine so she can go to the park.

Keep on baking friends!
XOXO

Pumpkin Bread

The Fall is here the Fall is here!  Time for pumpkins!

Okay growing up I hated pumpkin.  Whenever all the white kids would each their pumpkin pie I would sit there staring at my piece and just push it around my plate.  Blah!  What can I say I was a little Asian girl who knew nothing about pumpkin. 

Now that I am older I love pumpkin.  Okay maybe not love ... but I enjoy a good pumpkin pie.  This pumpkin bread is super yummy.  I think it's because it's simple so you can really enjoy the flavor of pumpkin.
 
Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from A Kitchen Muse

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups pumpkin
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cups water

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.  Whisk flours, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.
3.  Cream sugar and vegetable oil.
4.  Slowly add eggs.
5.  Add pumpkin puree.
6.  Add dry mixture and water alternating each a little at a time.  Do not over mix!
7.  Add batter into greased bundt pan.
8.  Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9.  Cool for about 10 minutes and then turn bread out of bundt pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 

I used canned pumpkin puree and I am not ashamed at all.  Since I baked this on a Wednesday night before doggy training class there was not way I was going to attempt anything but a canned pumpkin recipe.  I am pretty sure the best part of this pumpkin bread is the crust.  It's got great flavor.  With the recipe being so easy I will for sure be making this bread for holiday parties.

The pup had no interest in this pumpkin bread since it's got no peanut butter in it.  Oh she lives a tough life.  However she did do a good job being the neighborhood watch while I baked the pumpkin bread.

XOXO

Pumpkin Snicker Doodle Cookies

With the holiday season here everyone has pumpkin on the brain. Or at least I do. I am so excited to share this recipe because I have gotten such great feedback about it from my taste testers.

Cookies:

2 sticks of butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Rolling Sugar:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla. Make sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients.

Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Add dry ingredients a little at a time to wet mixture.

Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough becomes slightly firm.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix rolling sugar in a small bowl.

Remove cookie dough from refrigerator. Use a cookie scoop or a large spoon to scoop out dough and roll into balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and make sure they are coated really well. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Use a fork dipped in rolling sugar to flatten the balls.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until they are slightly firm to the touch. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

This recipe is for about 3 dozen cookies.

I normally love snicker doodle cookies and this is a great spin to them.

XOXO