Spiced Pumpkin Brownies

Let's have a chat about Christmas season, shall we? I know there are people out there who believe once Halloween is over, everything should be decked out in holly and mistletoe and Christmas caroles should be playing 24/7.  I'm not one of those people. Those people might be crazy and if so, you should run away from them. Quickly.

There are others that start trimming their tree the day after Thanksgiving.  I'm slightly more tolerant of this "I'll wait until Turkey Day passes to bring out my green and red holiday decor" behavior, however I still don't function that way.

In my world, Christmas can't start until it's December. And since there's still nearly a whole week of November left, I'm going to enjoy all the perks Fall has to offer until then. That means getting my fill of pumpkin spice lattes and any other pumpkin-y treat I can get my hands on.  Including these brownies.

I have to give it to Pinterest- there are some pretty nifty ideas floating around there.  I saw several pins that claimed 1 boxed cake pin + 1 can of pumpkin puree = pumpkin cake.  So I figured if it can be done with cake mix, surely it can be done with brownies. I love it when I'm right. ;)

Pumpkin-Maple Whoopie Pies

The end of the year always sneaks up on me. I'm strolling right along, enjoying my summer and like bam! (take that Emeril) it's Labor Day.  Then all of a sudden, September morphs into Halloween.  And by the time I'm barely coming down off my left-over candy sugar high, Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

I really should pay more attention. It's not like the world hasn't been trying to clue me in.  I've been wearing my thick wool coat to work for weeks now, barely a leaf is left on a tree, and my mom's already emailing me asking what I want from Christmas - it's obviously Fall. (And yes, my mom starts her Christmas shopping exceptionally early.  I guess you have to when you have 5 kids to shop for......)

All these signs, yet I'm still trying to grasp the fact that this week is Thanksgiving.  Thursday? You mean THIS Thursday? Are you kidding me? Even more shocking, I have yet to bake on thing made of fall-inspired pumpkin goodness.  And that my friends can not happen. It just can not. It's like kitchen rule #3.

Please don't ask what rules 1 & 2 are- it's kinda like Fight Club. I can't talk about it

So I called upon pumpkin and cinnamon and nutmeg and clove and last but certainly not least, maple syrup. Fall has officially arrived in Sarahland.

Pumpkin Waffles

What are some of the best words you could ever hear? In my book, "And in the morning, I'm makin' waffles" is at the top of my list.  Oh, I made waffles alright.  But these aren't just any waffles.

For one, I'll give you a little warning. These waffles take a little bit of TLC.  Don't plan on whipping these up on a morning where you're running late for work.  However, when you do find the time, they are TOTALLY worth it.  Light and fluffy inside. Brown and crispy outside. Plus the added awesomeness of pumpkin? Yeah, totes worth it. 

These waffles would be great for the morning after Thanksgiving.  Whip them up, keep them warm in the oven, and you'll have some happy house guests.  I dusted mine with a little bit of powdered sugar, but a traditional syrup would work great too.

P.S. A shout out to my sister- it's her birthday today :) Happy Birthday Brooke!!!

Pumpkin Crumble

I love pumpkin.  Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin waffles (coming soon :). Pumpkin everything. Well, almost everything. As weird as it sounds, I can't stand pumpkin pie.

I know, I know...... She doesn't like pumpkin pie?! How is that even possible?  It's a Thanksgiving staple! Well, folks, I'm sorry.  But it just isn't for me.  It's a texture thing.  Same reason I can't eat bread pudding. Taste great, texture gives me the heebie-jeevies.

So this is my Sarah-friendly, texture-friendly pumpkin pie alternative.  Plus it's super simplified. All you most likely need from the store is a yellow cake mix for the bottom crust and the crumble topping and a can of pumpkin for the middle filling.  The rest you probably have on hand in your kitchen right now.

So with that, let's get out those mixing bowls shall we?

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

Have I mentioned lately that I love fall? hehe Well, this week the season lives on in Betty Crocker's Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes. Now I'll be honest, this wasn't a new recipe for me. I actually made them last year around this time. Quote of the year from a co-worker: "How did you do that? They taste like Thanksgiving!" They were a HUGE hit. I'm pretty sure all 24 were devoured before 10:30am...silly engineers.

With that kind of success, how could I not make them again.

But before I go into details, I should mention how much I love BettyCrocker.com. Tons, and I mean TONS, for quick and simple meals and desserts. One draw back is that they all require at least one BC product (obviously), so it isn't the greatest for impromptu ideas, but if you plan ahead, you'll have no problem.

And lastly, if you think I'm obsessed with fall, just wait til November 26 and I start listening to Christmas music :)

How Long Is This Gonna Take:10 minutes for the pecans and making the batter + 20 minutes to bake + 10 minutes frosting = 40 minutes total

What You'll Need:1/2 - 1 cup finely chopped pecans
3 tbsp sugar
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix (I used the whole 15oz can, mostly because I can't read :-P)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup veggie oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 container cream cheese flavored frosting

What To Do:1. Preheat oven to 350F. Use paper baking cups to line cupcake pan or spray with cooking spray.

2. In a non-stick skillet, cook pecans and 2 tbsp of sugar over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted, about 8 minutes (I had to crank my electric burner to 5 aka medium in my book to get the sugar to start melting). Spread pecans onto a sheet of waxed paper and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp of sugar.

3. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Divide among cupcake tins, filling about 2/3 full. (Hint- if you only have one 12-cup muffin pan, cover and refrigerate other half of batter while the 1st batch is baking. When baking up the cooled batter, add 1-2 minutes bake time)

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Remove from pan onto cooling rack and allow to full cool before frosting.


5. Frost each cupcake and then turn upside down into a bowl full of the sweetened pecans. Push down any loose ones trying to escape.

Pumpkin Spice Bread

OK- now I'm ready for a fall dessert treat. However, while this bread isn't so "dessert-y", its still DELICIOUS! The recipe for this Pumpkin Spice Bread is from The Taste of Home Baking Book (which is probably the greatest cookbook ever- 500 pages of cookies, cakes, breads, and brownies)


I've made a version of this bread every fall for like the past 5 years and every year I end up making like 2 more loaves because its just so awesome. So now, I bring the joy to you :)


How Long Is This Gonna Take:Total time: 1 hour (includes baking & cooling time). Actual active time: 10 minutes! That's right...you read correctly- an amazing, tasty bread that will impress all your friends & family made in 10 minutes.


What You'll Need:
3 cups sugar
1 cup veggie oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1- 15oz can of pumpkin
3.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup water


What To Do:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Combine sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Add in pumpkin and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, cloves, and allspice. Add to pumpkin mixture alternately with the water, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into 2 greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pans


2. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until it passes the clean toothpick test (it took about 75 minutes for me). Cool for 10 minutes in the pans before removing and placing on wire racks to cool completely.









**Hint from the Cook Book**
Much of a quick bread's (non-yeast/non-rising bread) success depends on the freshness of the baking powder and baking soda you use. (If you're like me- you can remember when you actually bought these, they've just always been in your cupboard...) To test them for their freshness

• Baking powder: mix 1 tsp powder with 1/3 cup hot water
• Baking soda: mix 1/4 tsp soda with 2 tsp vinegar

If bubbling occurs, then their still fresh. If not they should be replaced. Full Disclosure: I did this test on my stuff, and to my great surprise, THEY PASSED. Both my baking powder and soda are over a year old and I just keep them in little sealed "Gladware" containers- I guess it works :)