TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

I will admit that I was afraid of trying this recipe. My history with pumpkin isn't exactly the greatest. I don't like pumpkin pie unless it comes with a gallon of whipped cream and I wasn't a fan of pumpkin ravioli the one time I had it years ago. I do, however, like pumpkin seeds and these pumpkin bars my friend Edgar makes. So when I saw that Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp picked this recipe I had mixed feelings. I didn't want to try it because I thought I wouldn't like it but I wanted to try to prove to myself that I could like it despite our rocky history. I am so glad I made the recipe because the muffins were delicious. I can't even say that I knew they would be delicious from the batter because I found the batter thick and slimy. I didn't even taste them when they came out of the oven because it was too late to eat again. So I waited until this morning to taste them and wow. I actually like them! I think they tasted so good to me because I didn't expect them to taste good at all. I thought they would have an overwhelming pumpkin taste but they didn't. Instead, they had the taste of all the delicious spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice). This recipe has made me more open to trying pumpkin recipes, which is great since it is a fall staple.

Make sure to go to Kelly's blog for the recipe and to TWD to see what everyone else thought about this recipe.

Getting ready.

Done!


Ballerina Muffin :)




Yum!

Wordless Wednesday

Kiss Cookies for Breast Cancer

I didn't participate in TWD this week because neither of us likes biscotti. Biscotti is probably the only cookie on this planet that Alex and I don't like. But don't let that dissuade you from going to TWD and seeing how everyone fared with this week's selection.

I still wanted to bake cookies so I decided to bake Kiss Cookies (I like this name better than the Betty Crocker one) for The Power of Pink Challenge hosted by Jen of Beantown Baker. This is a great event and, although I have not been personally affected by breast cancer, I still support organizations that focus on raising awareness and funding breast cancer research. Maybe it all stems from the lump scare I had with my mom a few years ago or maybe it has something to do with my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, or maybe I'm drawn to the pink since pink is my favorite color. Whatever it is, breast cancer has always been something I feel passionate about.

So for this event I thought long and hard about what to bake. At first I thought of M&M cookies but then I saw that Jen had already made some that look amazing so it was back to the drawing board for me. I decided on Kiss Cookies because these cookies are always a huge hit in my house and I could use the pink-foiled Hershey's Kisses. The cookies came out great and were so easy and fun to put together. My absolute favorite part of baking these cookies is sticking the Kiss in the middle. To make the cookies fit the pink theme I rolled them in pink sugar and drizzled them with pink-colored white chocolate.

Thanks Jen for hosting such a great event and I hope to see more pink goodies over the course of the month!

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Candy Cookies
Source: Betty Crocker

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Granulated sugar or colored sugar
About 36 Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until a dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated or colored sugar. Place the balls on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately press 1 Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie. Remove from the cookie sheet and place on cooling rack.

Baking.

All done up...




Pretty and pink!




The lovely Hershey's Kisses.

Enjoy!

Obsession of the Week

I am finally getting used to the idea of another winter. This is great because that means that I am enjoying all the beauty of fall. We took several walks around the city this weekend and I was in awe of the foilage. I don't think I could ever get tired of the changing colors and the cooling temperatures. I do, however, get tired of the bare trees and the freezing temperatures. But let's forget about that for now. The city is gorgeous this time of year. I'm not the only one that feels this way because the city was busy this weekend, especially the Public Garden and Boston Common. I couldn't help but take my camera out and capture the changing season. I wish it could stay fall forever.

Caramel Topped Pound Cake

The day I made the madeleines I also made some pound cake. I was in the mood to bake things with ingredients that I already had on hand. I had bought the Better Homes and Garden's cookbook almost 2 years ago and I had marked off this pound cake recipe. I finally came around to making this recipe and it was so good. It was such an easy recipe to put together (and it's very easy to halve too) and the batter tasted great (shame on me for eating batter). The cake was very dense and sweet and it looked great topped with powdered sugar and caramel. It didn't taste as moist as other pound cakes I've had, but it still tasted great with a nice, tall glass of milk.

Sour Cream Pound Cake
Source: Better Homes and Garden's New Cook Book Special Edition

1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Allow the butter, eggs, and sour cream to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour an 8x4x2-inch or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and set aside (I made mini loaves). Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda and set side.

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, beating until very light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and add eggs one at a time, beating one minute after each addition.

Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (It's about 30-40 minutes for the mini loaves)

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool to room temperature.

All fixed up!




Slices of goodness.


Close-up of goodness.


Mmmm good!

Enjoy!

More Madeleines

I have yet to encounter a madeleine I do not like. First, there were the Dorie ones. I had never had madeleines until I made them for TWD. Out of the 12 I made, I ate 8 of them. I was so addicted to these cake-cookies. Then, I made the dark chocolate madeleines and these were a huge hit with Alex. Instead of cake-cookies, these were brownie-cookies. Now, we have the white chocolate madeleines. These cake-cookies were amazingly delicous. Alex said these were better than the other madeleines I have made and I couldn't agree more. They were so light and, just like chocolate, they melted in your mouth. You definitely have to try these!

White Chocolate Madeleines
Source: Carole Bloom's The Essential Baker
Makes 2 dozen Madeleines

2 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
3 oz (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the madeleine pan.

Place the white chocolate and the butter together in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Stir often to help the butter and chocolate melt evenly. Remove the top pan of the double boiler and set aside. Stir the chocolate mixture occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on top.

Place the eggs in a large bowl and whip the eggs with a hand-held mixer on medium speed until they are frothy, about 1 minute.

Add the sugar to the eggs and whip together on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and pale and holds a slowly dissolving ribbon as the beater is lifted, about 5 minutes.

Sift the flour and add the salt and toss to mix. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour to the egg mixture in 3 stages, blending well after each addition. Stop and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula a few times while mixing.

Pour the white chocolate mixture into the batter and blend in thoroughly.

Pour the the batter into the madeleine molds, filling them 3/4 full. Place the madeleine pan on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven.

Holding the pan upside down over the cooling rack, gently shake to release the madeleines. Cool completely on the racks.

Hello gorgeous!




I love these next two shots...

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

TWD: Chocolate, Caramel, and Nuts

I remember the day I brought Dorie's book home. I slowly went through the pages and lusted after the pictures of the desserts. I couldn't believe so much deliciousness could lie in one book. One of the recipes that caught my eyes was the Caramel-Peanut Topped Brownie Cake. It was a recipe that I hoped someone would pick and I am happy to say that Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy did. I had so much fun putting everything together and it looked so delicious once it was all done. I couldn't help but eat the caramel topping because it tasted just like the Sugar Daddy candies. The dessert was great and it only got better the next day. The cake was dense and the caramel made it chewy. We couldn't get enough of the brownie cake. Yum!!

Make sure to head over to TWD for more caramel-brownie dessert goodness.

Batter.


All baked.


Caramel and nuts.


Sugar Daddy goods.


The completed cake.


A delicious slice.


Look at that caramel. Yum!

Obsession of the Week

Where did the last week go? Everything about the past week has been a blur for me and the only thing that stands out is Alex's Bridal Shower this past Saturday. I was going crazy all of last week trying to get ahead in my school work and trying to finish up all the last minute shower things. I was afraid I was going to forget something and, truth be told, I almost forgot the cupcakes Saturday morning. The shower went off without a hitch and the only bad thing was that it rained ALL day long. I was hoping for typical Miami weather but instead we got a full day of rain, rain, and more rain. Everything about the shower was beautiful, especially the bride to be. Here are a few pictures from that day:

Shower Decorations

Cupcakes

Menu

Me and the Bride: Isn't she gorgeous?!

Wordless Wednesday