Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Bread

I have a confession: I don't like pumpkin. I know it sounds like heresy and that it goes against all that is good and right in the world, but I don't. This time of year I tend to avoid looking for new recipes because everywhere you look it's a pumpkin overload, not unlike Zucchini in August. If you follow me on Pinterest, you will likely see very few new recipes added to my boards this month. Perhaps it isn't pumpkin itself, perhaps its the spices that tend to go with it. I don't love cloves, or allspice, or anything that one would add to a spice type cake that is not called either "cinnamon" or "nutmeg." I can stomach a slice of pumpkin pie only if it is drowned in three times it's weight in whipped cream, but I typically avoid much else made of pumpkin.

With two key exceptions: I make a mean maple pumpkin cheesecake, and this fabulous bread. Oh, this bread.

It's honestly the only pumpkin thing I seriously crave, and initially I only kept the recipe around so I felt like less of an autumn baking scrooge. Truthfully, I blame my cravings on the glaze. That sweet, caramelly, addicting glaze. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Excuse me while I go devour a whole loaf of this.

{It tastes pretty good naked too... but the glaze is seriously what makes this beyond amazing.}

Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Bread

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin (not the pie ready filling)
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I left these out today since my family doesn't like nuts, and oh how I miss them. Please leave them in. They are amazing.)

Caramel Glaze:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, whisk or sift together the first 6 ingredients (all the dry stuff!). In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs, and water mixing well. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in pecans. Spoon batter evenly into two greased loaf pans (I like to line them with parchment for easy removal). Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until the tried-and-true toothpick test yields a clean pick. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Allow bread to sit and cool while you make the glaze.

For the glaze, combine butter, sugars, and cream in a small saucepan. Cook until the sugars are fully dissolved. Allow sugar mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, making sure to stir until the mixture is smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaves.

Take a slice, or twelve, and realize that fall is awesome and your life is now complete.

I actually made one large loaf and one pan of 6 mini loaves, and my family could not stop eating it. This morning the hubs took the last bit to work with the understanding that "we can make more of this, right?" I take that as a success.

Scotch Treats

I have been sick for the last few days. Normally I bounce right back but evidently pregnancy makes being sick even worse. I sure didn't know about that up front. Add to it the fact that my Squirt has been grounded for a week (today is the last day - hurray!) and our house hasn't been a whole lot of fun lately. In an attempt to pull myself off the couch and make the best of this day, I gave Squirt a job she can handle independently in the kitchen; make some Scotch Treats.

I recognize that this is not a new or unique recipe, but for me it is a reminder of childhood. My mom and I used to make these and they were one of my favorite things. In fact, as a kid she won a blue ribbon at the state fair for this recipe. Now it can be found on several websites, but I like to forget about that detail and focus on the memories.

(Does anyone else lament the loss of recipe cards? Who doesn't love stumbling upon something nostalgic and hand written? I also love to see the stains forever trapped on well used cards.)

Squirt was all over this idea. 

We did have a couple of kid cooking snafus. The peanut butter was melted but the chips weren't when she poured in the cereal. Then she let the mixture sit on the stove without stirring it and it started to burn a little.

No matter. She likes them anyway and she feels one step closer to kitchen independence. 

I feel one step farther from being a lame and boring sick mom. Though I didn't get any pictures of her at the end. I'm sure you guys have all been there too. This is as good as it gets today. 

Lemon Mousse in Sugared Phyllo Cups

(I couldn't help this font combination and color. It looks almost exactly like an old Sunset cookook my mom had from the 70's)

Last night I attended a baby shower and was asked to bring a treat. Actually, I was asked to bring a dip but as the conversation carried on somehow "dip" evolved to "treat," which I can embrace fully. This week has been crazy as I just started subbing. After 18 months of looking for work I'm happy to have some bit of income, so I sub in Life Skills classrooms with SPED students. It's a hard transition for me, but I'm embracing it. I miss the energy of my freshmen and being able to teach a content area that I love. One day I'll have that again... hopefully.

But back to baking.

Never in my life have I taken a food item that received so many enthusiastic requests for the recipe. Considering that I made it up on the fly it made my baking heart swell just a little bit. It's a fairly easy recipe, but it does take a couple hours start to finish with chilling times.

Lemon Mousse in Sugared Phyllo Cups

For the lemon mousse: 

3-4 lemons, juiced and zested 

5 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (one stick)

1 pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

3 tbsp powdered sugar

1-2 tsp vanilla bean paste (regular vanilla would work)

For the Phyllo Cups:

1/2 pkg. phyllo dough

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar (approximately)

Set Phyllo dough on counter (still in plastic) about 2 hours before you plan on working with it, or according to the package directions. 

Place butter and sugar into bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and cream together. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolks and mix for about 1 minute on medium speed. The mixture will look separated but that is ok. Place lemon mixture into metal bowl and place over saucepan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until mixture is light in color and has thickened to coat the back of a spoon. 

Allow mixture to cool, then refrigerate until chilled. (Yes, you can put it in the freezer to speed things up! It still takes about an hour or so though.)

Add cream cheese to lemon mixture and cream together, making sure there are no lumps. In separate bowl, combine whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla and whip until mixture holds stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into lemon mixture and chill. 

Work with one phyllo sheet at a time while keeping the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. Brush the first sheet of phyllo with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Lay a second phyllo sheet on top, butter lightly and sprinkle with sugar. Continue until you have a stack 6 sheets thick. Cut the phyllo rectangle once lengthwise and twice along the width to create 6 squares. Lightly press each square into a standard muffin cup being careful not to damage the delicate layers. Continue until you have used the entire roll of phyllo dough, which should make 24 cups. 

Bake phyllo cups at 350 for about 8 minutes, or until lightly golden. My oven bakes hot and uneven so keep an eye on them as this temp/time may not work as well in a better oven. 

Allow the cups to cool completely before filling. 

Using a standard cookie scoop, fill center of each phyllo cup with one scoop of lemon mousse then garnish as desired. In this case, with blueberries and additional lemon zest.

Grab one and eat up!! Seriously, the raves when I walked into the party with a platter of these were definitely notable. The raves after people started eating them were indescribable. Eat these. They are yummy.

Seriously though - if you try them I'd love to hear what you think about them. 

Chocolate-Streusel Coffee Cake

It's the beginning of a 5-day weekend for Squirt. Five. This morning was parent-teacher conferences and though it's always nice to have some one on one conversation with her teacher, it's also nice once it's done. I promised her that we could put her entire head in little braids since there wouldn't be a need to take them out for a few days. While we spent an hour watching some random Pokemon movie and getting that done, I really needed to smell something baking to get the morning going. There is just something awesome about the smell of something in the oven, and it was a good distraction from Pokemon.

This is something I've been wanting to make for a while. I love that it has chocolate, pecans, and coconut, but also that it isn't too sweet. It's also easy. Very, very easy. I modified it from my mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook (Copyright 1969!) which lends a sense of nostalgia as well.

Kid tested, mother approved. Just like almost anything else that has chocolate in it.

Chocolate-Streusel Coffee Cake 

1/3 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sugar, divided
4 tbsp. butter, melted
scant 2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup chocolate pieces, melted

Heat oven to 375. Grease a square pan 8x8x2 inches. In a small bowl, stir together coconut, nuts, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tbsp. of the melted butter. Set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, egg, milk, and remaining melted butter. Beat vigorously until well combined, then pour into prepared pan.

Spread the chocolate over the batter. Using a knife, cut through the batter several times for a swirled effect. Sprinkle the coconut mixture evenly over the top. Bake 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Now that the skies are frequently grey and the air is becoming cold, I'm having fun getting back into the kitchen. My poor family has been mostly devoid of homemade snacks for the last several months but for some reason cooler temps make the no-dishwasher detail a moot point where baking is concerned. For today, I'm surprising my Squirt after school with her all-time favorite snack.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

*modified from the Kitchen Aid recipe booklet

1/2 cup shortening or butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

dash cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 mashed bananas

1-2 tbsp. raw sugar (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Place shortening and sugar into mixer bowl. Beat until combined. Add eggs, scrape down sides of bowl and beat just until eggs are somewhat incorporated. 

Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add half of flour mixture and half of banana to mixer bowl. Mix for about 30 seconds, add the rest of the flour and banana, and mix another 30 seconds. Stop and scrape the bowl. Add chocolate chips and mix until distributed. 

Pour mixture into greased and floured loaf pan. If desired, sprinkle raw sugar over the surface of the bread. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until the top doesn't look "juicy" anymore. It will likely split down the center as it rises, if this looks wet the bread will be undercooked. 

*At high altitudes, this actually takes almost a full hour to bake. Trust your gut and if it looks gooey at all, let it bake a little longer.*