Coffee Cake Cookies

Have you ever made cookies to be served in the morning?  No?  Me neither.....well, except for my Pumpkin Cranberry Oat Cookies.  But when I saw this recipe for Coffee Cake Cookies from Bakers Royale.  I first saw the cookies on Pinterest and immediately pinned it.....what a great idea!!  And reading through the recipe......they have browned butter in them!!  Sold!!  I am truly obsessed with any recipe that has browned butter these days......so yummy......and so Fall-y to me!

Looking back at the pictures of this on Pinterest......I don't think I pressed down my streusel topping down into the cookie as much as the originals had.....but they were so good.....I don't think it mattered.  They really stay nice and cake-y......they don't get crispy like a cookie.  I took these to a friend's house for a party, and they were a hit!

Check out Bakers Royale for the recipe......and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:

Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Monday, Mmmm.....Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Tea Party Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - T' Time - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Bake with Bizzy - Sweet Treats Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - It's a Keeper Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Friday Favorites - Sweet Tooth Friday - Fusion Friday - Anything Goes Linky - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Food - Seasonal Inspiration - Sweets for a Saturday

Man Food - Bacon Wrapped Brats

Seriously?  Bacon wrapped around a bratwurst?  The hubby's eye started bulging out of his head when he saw this one.....and I think he might have started drooling too.  What a simple way to amp up a casual little BBQ (around here we BBQ all year!).  Forget hamburgers and hot dogs.....these are pretty much just as easy (you just have to wrap the bacon around the brat, securing with toothpicks), but man oh man.......you will make everyone sooooo happy!

We served these on some french bread buns loaded with spicy mustard and sauteed onions and pepper.  Delicious!!  So delicious, in fact, that I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished project.  Oops!!  Just picture it in your mind, and then run to the store and make this as soon as you can......you will make the men in your life very, very happy!  Oh, and my one word of advice........remember to remove the toothpicks before eating!

Check out Two Peas and their Pod for the recipe.....and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:

Fusion Fridays - Fat Camp Friday - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Friday Food - Tuesday Talent Show - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Full Plate Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

It's almost Halloween!!  Our oldest son is asking us every day how many more days until Halloween.  I think he's waiting for the candy windfall that's bound to happen.......which reminds me.....I have completely forgotten to buy any candy for our house yet.......ack!!  I better get on that before the only thing that's left is Tootsie Rolls and Smarties......the two candies that I really really don't like!

Since we're not allowed to bring in any homemade treats to our son's Kindergarten class (don't even get me started), I'm making up for it by bringing a ton of things to my younger son's preschool class.  These white chocolate covered pretzels are so easy to throw together.......you can really use any type of sprinkles on them........they're even great covered in mini M&Ms (I wish I had Halloween colored ones, but I didn't).  I found cute little sugar pumpkins at my local baking supply store.....all of the other sprinkles were from Target.  Michaels carries the cute little pretzel rod bags, so that you treats can be neatly bagged up.  I love these treats.....a perfect combination of sweet and salty!!

To make these guys you'll need:

pretzel rods

white candy melts or white chocolate

sprinkles (any kind will work)

additional colors of candy melts (if you want to drizzle some over the top of the sprinkles)

wax paper

Melt the white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl.  Once they have melted, transfer to a tall narrow glass (careful when pouring!).  Dip a pretzel rod as far as you can into the melted candy melts and shake off the excess.  Lay down on the wax paper and add on whatever sprinkles or decorations you want to use.  If you're putting on mini M&Ms you may want to wait a second before adding them on.....since they're so much heavier than the sprinkles they have a tendency to slide off the sides.....waiting a minute will allow the surface to get a little tackier so that they can stick better.  If you want to drizzle an additional color over the top of these, melt the other color and then place in a ziploc bag.  Snip off a little bit off of the corner of the bag, and drizzle.  

Once completely dry, place into bags and tie with ribbon or string......Enjoy!

This post is linked to:

These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - This Week's Cravings - It's a Keeper Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Fusion Fridays - Fat Camp Friday - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Favorites - Friday Food - Sweet Tooth Friday - Anything Goes Linky - Sweets for a Saturday - Seasonal Inspiration - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Monday, Mmmm....Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - T' Time

Frankencrispies

Say Hello to my new little friend!  I call him Frankencrispy....and I think he's adorable!

I saw these Frankenstein Rice Krispy Treats Pops over at Pop.O.Licious.  They had made them as pops....but when I tried to do that I had a little trouble.  Once I got the green candy melt coating on these guys they got so heavy that they pulled right off of the stick......so instead they became little hand held guys.

To make these guys you'll need:

green candy melts
black or brown jimmy sprinkles
candy eyes
black food marker

Melt the green candy sprinkles, and while still wet, dip the top of the head in the jimmies and lay on it's back on wax paper. Sprinkle a few more jimmies on the front of the head.  Add the candy eyes (to make the eyelids you'll kind of scrape the eyes into the candy coating as you're putting the eyes into place).  Let dry completely.  Once dry, use a black food marker to draw on the mouth and a scar.  Or, if you have black candy melts, you could melt those down and pipe on a mouth and scar.

Have fun with these......and remember, they're monsters....they don't have to look perfect!!

Packed up and ready to go!

This post is linked to:
Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Monday, Mmmm...Dessert - Tasty Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - T' Time - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - This Week's Cravings - It's a Keeper Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Bake with Bizzy - Show Off Your Stuff - Pin'Inspirational Thursday - Fusion Fridays - Fat Camp Friday - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Favorites - Friday Food - Sweet Tooth Friday - Anything Goes Linky - Sweets for a Saturday - Seasonal Inspiration - Halloween Traditions Link up

Spiderweb Cupcakes

So I can't decide.....do my white chocolate spiderwebs actually look like spiderwebs, or do they look like snowflakes?  I'm leaning towards spiderwebs, but I think they could probably pass for snowflakes too.....

These are the cupcakes that I brought to our neighborhood Halloween party.  I knew that it would be mostly kiddos eating these, so I just went ahead and did a box cake mix of Halloween funfetti.  But I knew I wanted to try doing those white chocolate spiderwebs that I had been seeing on Pinterest, so I made some chocolate frosting for the spiderwebs to sit on.  The chocolate frosting recipe I used was from Our Best Bites, and it has a great chocolate flavor, without being too intense for the kiddos.  The spiderwebs are from Country Living.  There's a recipe and a template to print out.....just follow the lines!

One of these days the weather will cool off and it will actually feel like Fall!  At least it's a little cooler in the mornings now......but by the afternoon it's still plenty hot.  We've been to our local pumpkin patch twice so far (Lombardi Ranch), and both times it's been pretty toasty out there.  Going to the pumpkin patch is one of the things I look forward to all year.......the pictures always come out gorgeous, and the kids have an absolute blast!  Half the time they completely ignore the pumpkins, and instead want to run in the hay bale mazes, play on the vintage fire truck, and ride the choo-choo.

Pure happiness!

Our big guy is getting so big!

Superheroes!

Jedis!

Check out Our Best Bites for the chocolate frosting recipe, and Country Living for the spiderweb template........and Enjoy!

The kids can spend forever just running through the pumpkins!

This post is linked to:
Show Off Your Stuff - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Fridays - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Food - Sweets for a Saturday - Seasonal Inspiration - Fat Camp Friday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Monday, Mmmm......Dessert - Tasty Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - T' Time - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - It's a Keeper Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Bake with Bizzy

Apple Pie Cake

This is the first month of the Improv Cooking Challenge, started by Sheryl over at The Lady Behind the Curtain.  Each month she will give the participants two ingredients, and we're to come up with any recipe we want as long as it includes those two ingredients.  For this month, the two ingredients are apples and caramel.

I decided to go with a recipe that I haven't made in years (Apple Pie Cake), and add to it the Caramel Rum sauce that was so amazingly delicious from the Club: Baked challenge a couple weeks ago (Bananas Foster Fritters).

The toughest thing about this recipe is peeling, coring, and slicing all those apples!  There are a lot of apples needed for this, and you will get a springform pan packed to the gills with apples!  Don't worry, they will cook down a bit.  But you may want to make sure you have some people to share this with.....there's a lot to go around!  The great thing about this recipe is that the same dough that is used on the bottom is sprinkled on the top....only two bowls to dirty!

I waited until the pie/cake had cooled before drizzling on some of the caramel sauce, but because I hadn't waited for the caramel sauce to completely cool off it kind of soaked into the topping.  Had I gotten it completely cooled off before drizzling it on, you would have seen it better in the photo, but trust me, it was still delicious!  This sauce was a gigantic hit for our Baked challenge.....caramel and rum go together perfectly.....not to mention it's a piece of cake to throw together!  It's easy to throw together because it's not a traditional caramel sauce where you would dissolve your sugar and wait for it to get to the darkness you like......this one is much much easier!

APPLE PIE CAKE
Source: Martha Stewart

2 cups flour

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

5 pounds tart apples, such as Granny Smith (about 12)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Using an electric mixer or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the mixture forms pea-size pieces.  Press two-thirds of the mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch spring form pan.

Preheat oven to 350.  Peel the apples, cut into thin slices, and place in a bowl.  Pour off any accumulated liquid.  Toss the apple slices with the remaining teaspoon cinnamon and the lemon juice, and put them in the prepared pan, pressing down gently as you pack them in (they will mound above the edge of the pan).  Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top.

Put the pan on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and let the cake cool in the pan to set.  Serve at room temperature.  

CARAMEL RUM SAUCE
Source: Baked Explorations

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
Pinch cinnamon (optional)

Place butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir together until smooth.  Add the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a boil.  Once a boil is reached, remove from heat and stir in the extract, rum, and cinnamon.  Set aside until ready to serve.





This post is linked to:
Show Off Your Stuff - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Fridays - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Food - Sweets for a Saturday - Seasonal Inspiration - Fat Camp Friday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday  - Monday, Mmmm....Dessert - Tea Party Tuesday - Tasty Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - T' Time - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - It's a Keeper Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Bake with Bizzy - A Themed Baker's Sunday

Oreo Mummy Pops

You've probably seen these Oreo Mummy Pops before......they were all over blogland last Halloween.  I made them twice last year, and they were such a huge hit, I had to make them again this year!  We had our annual neighborhood Halloween party this weekend, so I whipped up a batch to bring.  What kid can refuse an Oreo covered in chocolate??  Even my older son, who is a notoriously picky eater (even when it comes to dessert), will devour one of these.  I'll be making another batch of these closer to Halloween to pass out at my younger son's preschool class (you have been warned!).......unfortunately I can't bring it to my older son's Kindergarten class......no homemade treats allowed (BOO!).

These treats are really simple to put together......and they come together waaaayyyy faster than cakepops do!  For instructions on how to make the Mummy pops, check out How Does She.  If you've never made Oreo pops before, and need instructions on the basics of putting them together, they've got a step-by-step guide here.

My little mummies from last year packed up and ready for school!

In case you were wondering.....we all dressed in Star Wars costumes this year (after being super heroes last year)......yes, we are dorks, but it was fun!

Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
Monday, Mmmm......Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - T' Time - Turning the Table Thursday - Bake with Bizzy - It's a Keeper - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Fridays - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Food - Sweets for a Saturday - Seasonal Inspiration - Fat Camp Friday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - This Week's Cravings - Halloween Traditions Link Up

Club Baked: Sawdust Pie

This round of Club: Baked was selected by Tessa over at The Cookin' Chemist, and she picked Sawdust Pie.  I had never heard of Sawdust Pie before, but it's basically a Pecan Pie with the addition of coconut and white chocolate.

I decided to throw this together for a last minute BBQ we had last weekend.  I had everything on hand, and to make it even easier for me, I used a refrigerated pie crust so that all I had to do was fill it and bake it......easy peasy!!  This is a one bowl dessert.....once you get all the main ingredients in, just add in the egg whites and mix till it's all combined.  It looked a little strange to me....but those Baked guys haven't let me down yet, so I went with it.  I'm glad I did, because it came out beautiful!  It smelled wonderful...definitely like a pecan pie, but with that extra little something from the coconut and white chocolate.

The pieces held up beautifully when the pie was cut.......no oozing apart like pecan pies sometimes do.  The recipe says to top with either whipped cream or banana slices.  We did whipped cream, since that is one of my favorite things on the planet.  This pie was a hit with everyone!

For the recipe, go to The Cookin' Chemist, and check out Club: Baked for the other bakers' results......Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
Fat Camp Friday - Sweets for a Saturday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Sharing Sundays - Monday, Mmm....Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Turning the Table Thursday - Bake with Bizzy - It's a Keeper - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Fridays - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Food - Seasonal Inspiration - Tea Party Tuesday

MSCC: Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes

This is my first month as part of the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club (MSCC).  We are baking our way through Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook....although I am totally late to the party......this group has already been around and baking for 2 years.....lucky for me there's a ton of recipes in this book!!

This month's pick was by Monica at My Cupcake Journey, and she picked the Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Brown Butter Icing.  These cupcakes are fairly dense, but incredibly moist.....and the icing?  OH MY.......sooooo good!  There is something insanely decadent about this brown butter icing, and it couldn't be any easier to throw together......you don't even need a mixer!

I opted not to include the optional sage in the cupcake batter......since I made some savory pumpkin muffins just a little while ago, I was looking for something purely sweet here.  And I learned my lesson with those pumpkin muffins.....the recipe here also called for the batter to be put directly into the pans with no liners, so I listened....and didn't have to deal with my cupcakes sticking all over to the liners.  See, I can learn!

For the recipe, go here, and to check out the other bakers' results, go to the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club.....Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
Fat Camp Friday - Sweets for a Saturday - Seasonal Inspiration - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Sharing Sundays - Monday, Mmmm.....Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Turning the Table Thursday - Bake with Bizzy - It's a Keeper - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Fridays - I'm Lovin' It - Friday Food

Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats

What could be simpler or more delicious than good 'ol rice crispy treats?  I may love a lot of grown-up desserts, but I could never deny my love for a homemade rice crispy treat!  I find that the store made ones (Starbucks included) have a slightly strange taste that the ones that are homemade don't have.  Maybe they use margarine instead of butter?  I dunno......but if I make a pan of these bad boys, I need to quickly get them out of the house before I find myself eating them all!

Cake batter stuff seems to be all the rage in blogland and all over Pinterest, and with good reason.......it's delicious!  I've been seeing lots of people try these Cake Batter Crispy Treats, and it seemed like they were a universal hit.  Couldn't be simpler to throw together.....and they were fantastic!

Check out How Sweet It Is for the recipe.....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Anything Goes Linky - Friday Favorites - Sweet Tooth Friday - I'm Lovin' It - Sweets for a Saturday - Fat Camp Friday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Monday, Mmmm......Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - T' Time - Turning the Table Thursday - Bake with Bizzy - It's a Keeper - Sweet Treats Thursday - Full Plate Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Fusion Fridays - Friday Food

Grandma's Apple Bread

Disclaimer:  This isn't my Grandma's apple bread recipe......though I wish it was!

We got a couple of Granny Smith apples in our CSA box that were more than a tad on the tart side.  I tried giving one to the boys, and they both wrinkled up their faces after one bite and wouldn't eat anymore.  So, I started digging around looking for something yummy to make with them.  I found this recipe for Grandma Barb's Apple Bread at A Farmgirl's Dabbles.  It's got grated apples, walnuts, and dried cranberries.....yum! This bread is insanely moist and tasty, and is great for breakfast or for an afternoon snack.  Plus, the recipe makes two loaves....one for you, and one to give away and make someone else happy!

Check out A Farmgirl's Dabbles for the recipe.......and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
Monday, Mmmmm.......Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Bake with Bizzy - Full Plate Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - It's a Keeper Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Anything Goes Linky - Friday Favorites - Sweet Tooth Friday - I'm Lovin' It - Sweets for a Saturday - Fat Camp Friday - Seasonal Inspiration - Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Zucchini Lemon Cookies

Even though it's officially Fall (which makes me so happy!) our weekly CSA box still has a ton of zucchini and other summer squash in it.  For last week's batch of zucchini I decided to make these Zucchini Cookies that I had seen on My Baking Addiction a little while back.

These cookies use a full cup of finely grated zucchini, which in my case was about 2 fairly large zucchinis.  I made these in a whoopie pie pan that I had completely forgotten that I had.  This kept the cookies from spreading out and then turned out super soft and cake-y.  With a drizzle of lemon-y glaze on top, these will give you one last taste of summer while you're trying to use up your bounty of zucchinis.  The hubby absolutely loved these!  I had him take a bunch to work, and I'm pretty sure he ended up eating all of them and not sharing.....not that I blame him.....

Oh, one last thing.....the recipe calls for raisins......I left the raisins out of my cookies.....I think I've mentioned before my intense dislike of raisins....I will avoid them at any cost!

Check out My Baking Addiction for the recipe.....and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Monday, Mmmm......Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Bake with Bizzy - Full Plate Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - It's a Keeper Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Anything Goes Linky - Friday Favorites - Sweet Tooth Friday - I'm Lovin' It - Sweets for a Saturday - Fat Camp Friday

The Search for the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

For this round of the Crazy Cooking Challenge we are looking for the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I've got a couple of personal favorites so far......the cookie from Baked and the Jacque Torres (NY Times) cookie. But ever since I read through the Chocolate Chip Cookie Quest over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I've been meaning to try the cookie from Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery.

There is nothing complicated with this recipe (although it does use both all-purpose and bread flour).....the hardest part of it all will be waiting overnight to 24 hours before baking these bad boys up. From everything I've read, this resting period in the fridge is mandatory if you want the best results for your cookie. Both the Baked recipe and the NY Times recipes also require you to let the dough rest overnight for the best texture and flavor.

And the most important part......how were they? Oh my.....these really are fantastic! They are crisp at the edges but super chewy on the inside....all with a great caramel flavor that everyone agreed was just delicious! Of course, I need to do a side-by-side taste test before I officially declare this as my favorite......nut I really do think we have a winner!

Check out all of the other great recipes over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies!

Joanne Chang's Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Joanne Change of Flour Bakery via Sweet as Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 white sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup finely chopped milk chocolate

Beat the butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

Mix together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Add both chocolates to he flour mix and toss to combine. Slowly blend the flour-chocolate mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until the flour and chocolate are totally incorporated and the dough is completely mixed.

For best results, scrape dough into a container and let rest in the refrigerator for a day before baking. The next day, heat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Drop the dough in 1/4-cup balls onto a baking sheet about two inches apart. Press dough balls down on the edges and slightly soft in the center, 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Enjoy!



Make sure you check out some of the other entries in the Crazy Cooking Challenge and vote for your favorite....me, of course ;)

This post is linked to:
Bake with Bizzy - Full Plate Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Show Off Your Stuff - Fusion Fridays - Anything Goes Linky - Friday Food- Sweets for a Saturday - I'm Lovin' It - Fat Camp Friday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Monday, Mmmm......Dessert - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday

Asian Pear Cake

Are you familiar with Asian Pears?  Imagine if an apple and a pear got together and had a baby.....that's pretty much  what you get with these guys.  I love snacking on these when they're nice and cold.....super crunchy and juicy.  I had never tried baking with them before, but I saw this recipe for Asian Pear Cake with my CSA box from Abundant Harvest Organics....and since I had too many for me to snack on, I figured it would be a perfect time to try!

The hubby absolutely loved this cake!  It was a huge hit.....and could easily be made with either apples or pears if Asian pears aren't available to you.  The fruit gets diced up pretty small and simply mixed into the batter of the cake.  The cake is really like a snack cake that you can just grab a slice and eat (no plate and fork required).  The hubby took the majority of the cake to work, and it seemed to disappear!

Asian Pear Cake
Source: Abundant Harvest Organics

Fruit Mixture:
3 cups diced Asian pears
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup sugar

Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350.

Flour and grease a bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, combine fruit mixture.

In the bowl of a standing mixer combine the dry ingredients (flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg).  With the mixer on low, stir in the oil, vanilla, and eggs until well blended.  Add the fruit mixture to the batter and mix until combined.

Put into bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.  Turn out onto plate when cooled.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Monday, Mmmm......Dessert - Mingle Monday - Tea Party Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Bake with Bizzy - Full Plate Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Show Off Your Stuff - Fusion Fridays - Anything Goes Linky - Friday Food - Sweets for a Saturday - I'm Lovin' It - It's a Celebration - Fat Camp Friday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Club: Baked - Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

The latest round of baking for Club: Baked was chosen by Billie over at Chocolate and Chakra.  For her selection, she chose Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins.  I don't usually think of using pumpkin in savory things.....since it's just so dang delicious in sweet ones (the hubby could eat an entire meal consisting only of Pumpkin Pie)!  Although, come to think of it.....when I was working in Thailand (before my job as Mommy I was a software consultant), there was an Irish restaurant that served the most amazing Pumpkin Soup!  Mmmm......I gotta say, I'm so happy that pumpkin season is back!

These muffins have a little bit a sweet and a lot of savory in them.......there is brown sugar in there.....but then you've also got sharp cheddar cheese, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  I eased back a little bit on the pepper.....didn't want it to be too spicy.  Try one when they're still warm.....oh my!  The cheese inside is melty and the top is just a bit crunchy.....it would be the perfect side dish to a delicious bowl of soup!

The only oops I made in this recipe is that it calls for you to spray the muffin pan with vegetable spray, and place the muffin batter right into the muffin pan, instead of using liners.  I decided to stick with liners, but I probably should have sprayed the liners as well.......the melty cheese has a tendency to stick to the paper when you try to get them out of the liners.  Oh well....they still taste fantastic!

Check out Chocolate and Chakra for the recipe.....and check out the other bakers' results over at Club: Baked.....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Fat Camp Friday - Sweets for a Saturday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Sharing Sundays - Monday, Mmmm......Dessert - Mingle Monday - Tea Party Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - These Chicks Cooked - Cast Party Wednesday - Bake with Bizzy - Full Plate Thursday - Turning the Table Thursday - Sweet Treats Thursday - Sweet Tooth Friday - Friday Favorites - Show Off Your Stuff - Fusion Fridays - Anything Goes Linky - Friday Food - I'm Lovin' It