I know fall is right around the corner when I start to crave pumpkin.  Have I ever mentioned I love pumpkin?  Well, if not…I love pumpkin.  I’m not sure why I love it so much, but a part of me thinks it’s because it’s a favorite fall ingredient and fall happens to be my favorite season.  Of course, we live in a place where fall isn’t much of a reality.  No changing of the leaves, cooler days and nights, or lighting of the fireplace.  The first experiences of fall we have aren’t usually until November (if we are lucky).  I guess I should be used to it but I’m still craving those cooler temperatures.  My mom called from Atlanta this weekend and told me that they were finally getting cooler temperatures.  Deep down I was so jealous and wish we could have been there to have a taste. All I hope is we will get a slight break in the temperatures here in Florida.  I would be happy for temps below 85 and less humidity.  Eventhough this weekend was a steamy one I still felt the urge to bake my fall favorite, pumpkin.  I cranked up the air-conditioning to make myself believe it was cooler and off to baking I went.  These muffins not only were a hit with everyone in my house they made the house smell delicious.  I actually made one batch on Saturday and was left with none come Sunday so I made another batch so I could photography and share with all of you.  If your looking for that first fall pumpkin recipe give these a try.  My husband even claimed these were his favorites I have ever made.  Either he was very hungry or telling me the truth.  I’m hoping he was telling the truth.  Happy fall to all of you and happy baking!

I would love to hear what’s one of your favorite fall ingredients too, so please share. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

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For Muffins:

1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2/3 cups light brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

For Streusel:

3/4 cup old-fashion rolled oats

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with cooking spray.

In a saucepan, heat the pumpkin and spices over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes or until muffin is fragrant.  Stirring occasionally.  Transfer to a bowl and add brown sugar, oil, and applesauce, whisking to combine.  Add the eggs and mix until combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.  Whisk in the pumpkin mixture, just until combined and no longer lumpy.

For streusel: Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl until well blended.  Stir in melted butter until the moisture forms large crumbs; stir in pecans.

Preparing muffins: Evenly place 1/2 tablespoon of muffin batter in the bottoms of the muffin tin, to just cover the bottoms.  Add a layer of streusel topping on top of the batter making sure to save enough for topping the muffins.  Evenly top the steusel layer with the remaining muffin mixture.  After filling all muffin cups with the batter top the muffins with the remaining streusel topping.

Bake muffins 15 to 18 minutes, until golden and an toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Let the muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes. then carefully remove from pan and allow them to continue cooling on a wire rack.  Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Lately I have been all about quick and easy breakfast ideas and these Zucchini Carrot Muffins fit perfectly.  When I received my recent catalog from King Arthur Flour (which I absolutely adore) and flipped thru the first few pages and then my eyes landed on this recipe.  I knew it would be perfect to make for those crazy school mornings or even to pack inside the lunch box for the girls.  These muffins are wonderful and what makes these even better is they are packed with veggies!  The white whole wheat flour adds the whole grains in there too.  In the end, the kids and mommy will be happy with these delicious muffins….oh, and husbands too!  I actually had to make two batches of these muffins (the recipe calls for 6 standard and 20 mini muffins).  I made one batch of mini’s and one batch of standard.  That way everyone in the house was happy.  One more thing, I would highly recommend making these with the cinnamon chips from King Arthur they make the muffins even more special.

I hope everyone had a great week and the kids first few days of school have been a good one.  I know it’s been a little crazy in my house but I think we are finally getting into the groove of things.  Also, if you have time stop over on my guest post on Smithfield.com where I share some of the tips I learned when getting the girls ready for school.  I would love to hear if you have any tips too, so stop by and leave a comment. 

Happy baking everyone and have a wonderful weekend! 

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

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1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup grated zucchini

1 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup mini cinnamon chips (optional)

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup White Whole What Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray nonstick cooking spray to a standard 6 cup muffin tin or a 20 mini-muffin cup tin.

Whish together the sugar, oil, salt, and egg.  Add zucchini, carrots, cinnamon chips (if using) and pecans.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the batter.  Stir till just combined.  Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.  Let the muffins rest for 10 minutes before placing them into the oven.

Bake the muffins until the edges are lightly browned and they feel firm if gently pressed, about 18 to 25 minutes.  A cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.  Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes; transfer to a rack, and cool completely.

Makes 6 standard muffins, or 20 mini muffins. 

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

 

Only a few days left until the girls start “school”….yikes!  Last week they met their teacher and got to see their classroom (pictures to come on the random side).  They were so excited, and once they stepped foot into their new classroom the toys were the center of their attention.  It was nice to see them comfortable in this new environment.  It’s so hard to believe they will be going to school when it feels like it was just yesterday that they were little babies.  Come Wednesday, when we have to drop them off for their first day of tot school I think we will have the hardest time with it.  I have a feeling we will be only ones shedding a tear (or two) also.  I let you know how it all goes and stay tune to pictures. 

Now let’s talk cookies….carrot cookies.  I know probably not the first thing you think of when you think of a cookie.  But these will not disappoint if you are a lover of a soft and chewy cookie.  I was lead to this cookie after searching for a semi-healthy cookie to pack in the girls lunch this week.  I found it on King Arthur Flour, a great resource for recipes, and knew it was the one to try.  I just made some minor changes to the original recipe.  I used less sugar, used pecan instead of almonds, and adding a slight pinch of nutmeg to the recipe.  Now I’m one of those people that like a soft and chewy cookie so these are right up my alley.  They are simply delicious and you really don’t feel bad biting into them and I feel even better packing them in the girls lunch.  I’m only hoping we have some left by Wednesday.  I think we only have three left!  Between me and the girls we pretty much devoured the batch in a few short days.  I guess that tells you we all liked them.   Hopefully you will enjoy these as much as we did too.

 

Super Carrot Cookies

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1/3 cup canola oil

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Instructions:

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

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, suagr, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, and egg, mixing until smooth.  Add syrup.  Stir in the carrots, cranberries, chocolate chips, pecans, flour, mixing gently until well combined.  Add the oats last, making sure they are throughly distributed throughout the bowl.

Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough into prepared sheets, leaving about 1 1/2-inches between them.  Bake the cookies until they’re just barely set on top – about 12 to 15 minutes.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

I’m a officially on a mini stay vacation!  Yeah!  Today was my first day of a 4 day vacation and I’m looking forward to staying home and hanging out with the girls.  Another bonus is my mom is here for a few days too so we all get to have a little girls time together.  We have a full day planned tomorrow and I don’t know who’s more excited me and my mom or the girls.  I’m sure they will be up early as we have plans to take them to the local “money” gym.  That’s what they call it the monkey gym.  I really think those are the best things ever, it wear the kids out and you enjoy watching them have a great time.  What could be better? 

Before I head off to a long weekend with the family I wanted to share these delicious muffins.  I actually made them last night and they were the perfect snack today for the girls and even my mom and I.  You have to understand that my mom is the expert baker and I owe all this cooking and baking to her influence, so when she took a bite and actually said to me….”Heather, these are good!”  So I guess I did something right with these.  The munchkins loved them too so that’s always a good thing in my opinion.  I adapted the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking, but made a couple slight changes….like adding the banana.  I think the banana actually brings a nice sweetness and moisture to the muffins.  Yummy!  I might have to go and have another one now…

Oh!  and one more exciting bit of news that I can’t wait to share with all of you.  I’m excited to be partnering with Smithfield.com for the remaining of year on their new blog.  Throughout the rest of the year I will be talking food, parties, cooking with your kids, and so much more.  Stay tune to some very fun and exciting posts that me and several other amazing bloggers will be doing on Smithfield.com’s blog.  Make sure you stop by tomorrow as I get to introduce Multiply Delicious to all the Smithfield readers. 

Ok, everyone have a fabulous Friday and weekend! 

Banana Carrot Apple Muffins

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1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup old-fashion rolled oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 cups grated, peeled tart apple (about 1 large)

1 1/4 cups finely grated, peeled carrots (about 2 medium)

1/2 cup ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup pecans, toasted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended.  Stir in the buttermilk and butter.  Pour over the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until half moistened, 8-10 strokes.  Add the apples, carrots, banana, and nuts and stir just until evenly distributed.  Do not over-mix.

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about three-fourths full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 minutes, then turn out onto the rack. 

These are best after sitting overnight. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking

This recipe is a favorite summer morning breakfast treat around my house.  With summertime brings an abundant supply of fresh and wonderful fruit at the market.  I love this time of the year for that very reason.  This past weekend the blueberries looked amazing so I made sure to pick up plenty at my local market.  Bananas are a favorite around my house, as you probably know if you have been following my blog.  We had some very ripe bananas on hand so I added those to the cake too.  In the end I’m really glad I did because they gave the coffee cake an extra sweetness and kept the cake really moist.  And as always, I tried to add whole grains where I could.  You will find oats and whole wheat pastry flour in the streusel, which is my favorite part of this coffee cake, and then in the cake I use my trusty friend the white whole wheat flour which brings some extra whole grain goodness to this cake.  This cake is great for breakfast or any part of the day, but it’s even great for dessert heated up with a big scoop of ice cream.

Another great things about this cake is if you don’t like blueberries you can always try using other berries or even peaches.  Enjoy everyone!

Blueberry Banana Coffeecake

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Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup old-fashion rolled oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Cake:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)

1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9-inch-square pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.

To make streusel:

Whisk together the sugar, flours, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender to make medium-size crumbs.

To make cake:

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.  Stir in half the dry ingredients, then the milk and vanilla, scraping down the sides.  Stir in remaining dry ingredients, then fold in mashed bananas and blueberries.  Spread the batter in the prepared pan, and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top.

Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.  Remove it from the oven and let it cool, in the pan, on a rack.

Adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Cookbook

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