Tis the Season....for baking!!!

This is a baker's favorite time of year (well at least mine)! I have been so busy baking, that I forgot about blogging! One of the things I love most about all this baking is passing along my creations for others to enjoy. Although everything is homemade, today I am going to focus on the decorating. That's the fun part after all! A lot of the recipes I used for the cake and cookies, I have used in previous blogs. You can use any of your favorite recipes, or mixes if you prefer!

First up - Rudolph cake pops! One of my co-workers gave me the Bakerella cake pop book and they had the idea in there. You can also find it on the Bakerella website. You can use any cake recipe you like. For these, I used a red velvet cake recipe I found with my Babycake maker. If you don't have a cake pop maker, check out my past blog post that shows you here.


Ingredients:
Cooled cake pops
Chocolate, melted in bowl
M&M's or other round candy (brown and red)
Pretzels cut into antler shapes
White and regular chocolate, melted and in pastry bag (or plastic bag with hole)

Dip cake pop in melted chocolate to cover.
Place M & M or other candy on cake pop where you would like the reindeer nose. 

Before chocolate dries, place pretzel antlers on the top.
Add melted white chocolate for eyes.
You can include a small dot of chocolate for the eyeballs as well. 

Next up - Melted Snowman cookies!! These are fun and so easy to make! Use your favorite sugar cookie and icing (or your favorite cookie mix and store bought icing). I used my favorite cookie and icing recipe that you can find here. 


Ingredients:
Sugar cookies
White icing
Large Marshmallows
Melted chocolate - various colors or icing with food coloring in desired colors

After making your cookies, let them cook and then ice them.

Spray a plate with cooking spray and then load up the plate with marshmallows.
Microwave the marshmallows for a few seconds, until they start to expand. 

Place marshmallow on one end of cookies. This will be your snowman's head.

Use your melted chocolate/icing in baggies to decorate your snowman as you choose!
Decorate the marshmallows as the face, and the rest of the cookie with arms. 

Add scarves, bow ties, buttons, and bows! 

So cute! And a hit with children and adults :) 

Now on to - Chocolate peppermint cupcakes! I got the idea from my favorite cooking blog, We Are Not Martha. I used a different chocolate cupcake recipe, but the same icing recipe. Use whatever chocolate cupcake recipe you please. I used this Ghirardelli recipe you can find here. 

Ingredients:

12 chocolate cupcakes, cooled

1 cup of butter, softened

Powdered sugar, 3-4 cups

2 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp peppermint extract

Cream butter until fluffy.
Add powdered sugar until desired consistency.
Add milk and peppermint extract, blend until combined.

Crush candy canes for decoration. 

Cut cooled cupcakes in half.
Layer peppermint icing on bottom half with a spoon.
Press top back on so icing comes through on sides.
You can roll the cupcake in crushed candy canes to garnish. 

Pipe icing on the top of the cupcake and garnish with candy canes.
Delicious! 

Last, but not least - Steelers Santa hats. These did not come out as neat and pretty as I had hoped, but they are still adorable. Instead of making them as cake pops, like I saw in the Bakerella cake pop book, I made them as Oreo truffles. Yum!


Ingredients:
1 package Oreo cookies
8oz cream cheese, softened
Colored chocolate, melted 
Round white candy, or cut up marshmallow for top

Crush Oreos, including cream center into fine pieces.
Mix with softened cream cheese to form a dough. 

Roll Oreo dough into cone shapes and place on wax paper. 

Dip bottom of the Santa hat into melted white chocolate.
Give them a few minutes to harden.
Dip the other half of the Oreo truffle into melted chocolate color of your choice,
being sure to not overlap with the white.
Add small piece of marshmallow, or round white candy, as the top of hat. 

Decorate with your favorite player's numbers, or team name.
Then share with other fans!

If you can't think of what to buy someone this year, bake them something delicious from my blog! It is one of the best presents you can give ;) 

One more week of baking, then I might need to take a break. 

Until then, Merry Christmas and happy baking! 

Gobble, Gobble! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for? Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever...describes it all! I can tell you, I am thankful for so many things this year, including my amazing family and friends who have supported me through so many things. I am also thankful for the peace and joy I have found in baking and cooking, especially when it is for others! I am really excited about the upcoming month, and all of the creative dishes and desserts I can make for the holidays. And it all starts today! My theme the past few weeks has seemed to be pumpkin, and that comes to an end after today! But first, it is time to celebrate this wonderful holiday with three different dishes: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Pie Pops, and Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients For the Rolls: 

1/4 cup warm water (110)        1 tsp sugar

1 package active dry yeast       1/3 cup warm milk

1 large egg, room temp             3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 Tbsp melted butter                3 1/4 cup AP flour

1/2 cup brown sugar                 1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon                      1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp ground ginger                1/4 tsp ground cardamon

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200. When it reaches 200, shut it off.
2. In the standing mixer, combine water and sugar; add yeast and let it rest for 10 minutes until foamy.
3. Add milk, egg, butter, flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and cardamom to the yeast mixture and mix with the hook attachment until combined, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic warp and put in the warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size, approx. 1 hour.

Ingredients for Filling:

2/3 cup sugar                   1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon                 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp allspice                 1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg                 1 stick of butter, softened

5. To make the filling, in a small bowl combine all ingredients except butter; set aside. Line 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, spray parchment.

6. Roll dough into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Spread dough softened butter, leaving 1/4 inch margin at the long side of the dough. Sprinkle evenly with filling mixture. Roll dough, either with rolling pin, or by hand, tightly tucking under after each completed roll. Cut into 15-20 rolls. Place in prepared baking pan.
7. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes. (*I left mine in the refrigerator overnight)

8. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes in 375 degree oven.
9. While rolls are baking, make the frosting by beating together 1 package of cream cheese (softened), 1/2 cup butter (softened), and 3 cups powdered sugar. Pour over rolls when they come out of the oven!

What a delicious breakfast treat! I heard they are also great warmed up with a side of ice cream for dessert. If you are looking for something to make Christmas morning, this would be perfect! 

Pie Pops

I love making cake pops with my cake pop maker, but wanted to do something different for Thanksgiving. My roommate gave me the idea to do pie pops, and I found some ideas for it on the Bakerella website. I though they would be hard to make, but they were actually pretty easy! I hope to make some for Christmas too. 

1. Start with your favorite pie dough recipe, let it rise, and roll out dough as thin as you can. 

2. Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut out as many "crusts" as you can. 

3. Using lollipop sticks (the same you use with cake pops), press stick into one crust. Then add filling of your choice.

I did 2 fillings for Thanksgiving. The first was pumpkin pie. I simply mixed together canned pumpkin, cinnamon, sugar, and ginger. The second was pecan pie. For this one, I mixed together sugar, corn syrup, honey, crushed pecans, melted butter, vanilla, and chocolate chips. For both, I guesstimated amounts. 

4. Seal with another dough crust. Make fork marks around the outside to seal, and make it look like a pie.

5. Brush with egg whites and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake on 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Pie Pops! So cute!! I can't wait to make more for Christmas! 

Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust and Pecan Streusel

And last but not least, Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust. The recipe I found is from Whole Foods. I added the pecan streusel topping because it just sounded so good! I am glad I started it early, because it took a lot longer than most things I make. 

Crust Ingredients                                   Filling Ingredients

1/3 cup pecans, toasted and cooled        3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups AP flour                                3 large eggs

1/4 tsp sea salt                                       1 can pumpkin puree

6 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces                 3/4 cup milk

1-2 Tbsp ice water, more if needed         2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

                                                             1/2 tsp sea salt

For Crust:

1. Place toasted pecans in food processor and pulse until ground.  Stir together ground nuts, flour, and salt in a bowl. 

2. Cut in butter with pastry blender just until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

3. Add ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, until dough just comes together. *I had to add an extra 2 tbsp of water for the dough to come together.

4. Gather up dough, cover and chill at least 3o minutes.

5. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle. Make sure the rolled out dough is big enough to fit into a pie pan, with excess coming out over the edges. 

6. Place dough in a 9 1/2 inch pie pan and press into place. Fold and crimp the edges as desired. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or freezer for 15 minutes.

7. Bake on lower oven rack at 425 for 12 minutes, using something weighted inside pie crust to keep it down in pan. Remove weights and bake for another 12-15 minutes.

For the Filling:

1. Whisk together brown sugar and eggs until combined.

2. Add pumpkin, milk, spices and salt until blended.

3. Pour mixture into pre-baked pie crust. Bake 1 hour, or until edges are set and center slightly jiggles. *I kept mine in for about 1 hour and 10 minutes to have it set. 

4. Add streusel to top and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

For Streusel and Cool Whip:

Streusel - 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp softened butter

Cool Whip - Cool whip mixed with vanilla and cinnamon

Gorgeous pie!! My crust came out great, and the pie smelled fantastic!

The pumpkin pie took a long time to complete from start to finish, but the finishing product was worth it. It was enjoyed by all on Thanksgiving! Thank you pumpkin for being so kind and helping me make so many delicious dishes this fall, but I think it is time for you to go. I am thankful for a day full of family, delicious food, football, reminiscing of childhood memories, and getting some Italian cookie recipes from my grandma! I am ready for the next holiday! 

Butternut Squash Soup and Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

This week has been a difficult one for any Penn State alumni, and even more so as a Second Mile employee. I have never felt such a whirlwind of emotions that in the end, can best be described as sad. I am so proud to be a Penn Stater, and the way our students and alumni have come together this past week has shown everyone what it means when we say We Are..Penn State.

The sunshine, warm fall weather, and a huge Steelers win, help to end the weekend on a more positive note. But after all that happened, some comfort food is still necessary. Although it doesn't quite feel like chili and soup weather, the color of the trees outside say differently. I am still on my pumpkin kick, and seem to also be on a butternut squash one as well. I have always wanted to try and make my own butternut squash soup, and today was a perfect day for it! I have been utilizing technology and I am loving the Whole Foods Recipe app. It has great recipes, most of which are healthy, and it easy to pull them up on your phone. I listed the ingredients for the original recipe which serves 4-6, but I ended up doubling everything to freeze for later. And for dessert? Pumpkin doughnuts! They are delicious, and can be eaten for breakfast too!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water, divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 tsp group black pepper

1. Bring 1/2 cup water to simmer in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. 

2. Add onion, carrot, and celery.
Cook until vegetables have begun to soften (6-7 min).

3. Add butternut squash and thyme.
Stir to combine with vegetables.
4. Stir in broth and remaining water and pepper.

5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 40 minutes. 

6. Use an immersion blender to carefully puree soup.
Or, let soup cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in a blender.

And Enjoy!!! Yum! 

Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

For my pumpkin doughnuts, I searched the internet for a pumpkin doughnut recipe, and tweaked it a bit. The recipe I modified came from another blog, Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts. I made a few changes to try and make the doughnuts a little healthier. I also made these into doughnut holes, using my Babycakes maker.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 can pumpkin
1/2 cup of light soy milk

1.  In bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.

2. In bowl of mixer, whisk together oil, brown sugar,
egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk until combined.

3. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until combined. 

Fill Babycake maker with batter. Bake for 5-6 minutes, until brown. 

Coating:
Spray butter (healthier then dunking in butter), cinnamon, sugar
Spray doughnut with butter, then roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture. 

Doughnuts for breakfast or dessert! 

Butternut squash soup is a great alternative to tomato soup, and is as vegetarian as you can get! The best part is how easy it was to make. I have to say, the doughnuts were absolutely delicious. They were enjoyed for breakfast on the way to watching the Penn State game Saturday, and also as dessert, warmed up with a little pumpkin ice cream on the side. Yum! 

Hopefully this week will bring some peace to Penn Staters, and continue to bring us all together. And here's to hoping for a week as beautiful as this weekend! 

Parmesan-Butternut Squash Gratin and Apple Cider Cookies

My goal for this week was to find something to make that didn't involve flour, or sugar, or butter. I failed. There are so many delicious fall treats that are best made at this time of year! I have a long list of things I want to make over the next few weeks, and half of them are sweets. My conclusion - make something healthy AND something sweet. And then give most of the sweet stuff away! The first recipes to cross off my fall cooking list include Parmesan-Butternut Squash Gratin and Apple Cider Cookies. Yum!


First up, the Parmesan-Butternut Squash Gratin, a delicious side dish that is so savory, you would think it was bad for you (but it's not!). The recipe I used can be found here, from Eat Better America.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

For substitutions from the original recipe, I used Parmesan bread crumbs I had on hand and EVOO instead of butter. I also bought pre-cut butternut squash, so the recipe calls for slices and I did cubes. 


1. Heat oven to 375. Cut butternut squash into cubes. Arrange slices overlapping slightly on bottom of sprayed baking dish. 


2. In small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, and 1 tbsp of the oil-garlic mixture.

4. Brush squash slices with remaining oil-garlic mixture.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and bread crumb mixture. 

5. Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes, or until squash is tender. Sprinkle parsley over top before serving.

And enjoy!!! I had mine tonight as a side dish to baked fish. 

Now, on to dessert! 


I have mentioned before that I have a love of the cooking blog We Are Not Martha. They always have creative, fun recipes that use foods that are in season. I was searching for something to satisfy my apple crisp craving, and didn't want to make an apple crisp and risk eating it all! Fortunately, I found a recipe on We Are Not Martha for Apple Cider Cookies with Caramel. I wrote out the ingredients for the original recipe, but I doubled it because cookies are for sharing! 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup apple cider
12-15 caramels

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.

2. In mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together.
Add the egg and combine.
Then add the cider and combine.

3. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat until just combined.

4. Take about 1 Tbsp of the batter and place a caramel in the middle.
Round the dough around it.
Place the dough on lined baking sheet. 

5. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Be prepared for a sticky mess when making these! The caramel did not want to stay inside of the cookie. 

Delicious with a glass of milk, or cider!

These cookies were delicious! They taste like caramel apples. Yum!! I packaged most and gave them away, but did enjoy one for dessert. I warmed mine up a little to get the caramel really melted. I only wish I had a little ice cream to top it off with. These definitely satisfied my craving, but made me want apple crisp even more! Maybe next time.