Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This weekend the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't help but have a mini baking session. While my personal fav is still zucchini bread, I also made some mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!

Source

I am a huge fan of the Skinny Taste blog, which helps me make the things I already love, but try to use better ingredients. So when I saw these mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, I jumped at the chance to make them. They were the perfect fall treat! I made them the night before - because well I'm not exactly a morning person. As soon as they came out of the oven, the Mr. ate a couple and could've kept going if I wouldn't have stopped him. The girls each had a bunch for breakfast this morning, and then Hadley and the Mr. ate the rest before I even got home from work. I guess I better just make some more then :) These would be perfect to freeze for later too, if there are any left!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour*
• 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raw sugar **
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil (or canola)
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• baking spray 
• 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners and lightly spray liners with oil for easy removal.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix pumpkin puree, oil, egg whites and vanilla; beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture to the wet mixture, then blend at low speed until combined; do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared muffin tin and bake on the center rack for 22 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*I just used 1 1/4C of all-purpose flour, because that's what I had - probably lost a healthy point but oh well ;)
**I had never even heard of raw sugar, but again I didn't have this and after some googling, decided it was just fine to use regular sugar

Breakfast for Dessert

Last night I made the most amazing pop over for dessert. It really is one of the simplest recipes I've ever come across, but looks totally fancy. It tells you to serve it for breakfast, which would be totally delish, but I chose to make it for dessert. I love dessert, and have to have it just about every day, since that doesn't always help out the whole eating healthy plan, this is a good compromise.

It's kind of like a mix of crepes and a pie (or my amazing tartlettes). There is absolutely no sugar in this recipe, and you would never know it. (Although I did sprinkle a wee bit of powdered sug on the top because I'm a rebel)

Doesn't that look like something straight out of a french pastry shop? I totally impressed myself with this, and the Mr. and it's kind of healthy for you! Definitely a repeat this fall at our house.

What you'll need (and most likely already have!):

• 2 T butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/4 t salt
• fruit (fresh or frozen)

Put your butter in a pie plate and put it in the oven to melt while you're pre-heating to 400 degrees. In a bowl mix your eggs, then add in flour, milk and salt and combine. Don't over mix it or it won't pop! Make sure your butter is melted and spread all over the pie plate, pour in your batter and bake for 25-30 mins or until it's puffed and golden. It should "pop" up the edges, and leave you with a center to fill with whatever kind of berries you want. I used frozen mixed berries because we always keep some in the freezer for smoothies and dessert emergencies :) And that's it! SO SIMPLE.

This was heavenly straight out of the oven. I probably could've eaten the whole thing by myself. But when you have a husband and 2 bambinos you learn to share ;) I'm already thinking of what else I could fill it with, chocalate/pecans, pumpkin, peaches, apples, the possibilities are endless!!

Oatmeal Cream Pies and a First

While I really don't like to cook, I LOVE to bake. I love finding new recipes and of course I love to eat them when I'm done (and while I'm making them). Lately I've been a huge fan of Pioneer Woman. I can't wait to get my hands on her cookbook (although that's quite the story and I'll save it for another day). A couple weeks ago I wrote about her Pork Chops and Pineapple Fried Rice I made, and it was a huge hit. So after an unfortunate carrot-cake-cupcake (ccc) disaster, I had a bunch of cream cheese frosting that I needed to use up. So I turned to good ol' P-dub for some help.

Just the other day she posted a recipe for homemade oatmeal whoopie pies with 2 different ideas for the cream filling. Well since I already had the frosting, and everything else in my pantry I now knew what I was going to do with the extra frosting! (Besides eat with a spoon).

This is an old Amish recipe for oatmeal cookies, and they sure knew what they were doing. I am a huge fan of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (NOT to be confused with raisin - yugh). And I am most certainly going to make these cookies again to eat plain and add in some chocolate chips. They were the perfect amount of soft in the middle and slightly crunch on the outside. And just because I LOVE to bake, doesn't mean I claim to be good at it (hence the ccc disaster). And you really can't mess these up. My oven has a mind of it's own (which is what I'm blaming for the above mentioned ccc disaster), so even though I watched these like a hawk (mostly because I also wanted to eat one, but anywhoo) they came out perfect every time.

The reason they sort of look misshapen is because I put them too close together and sort of had to cut them apart. But don't let that fool you, it in no way affects the deliciousness that is these cookies.

Once all your cookies are done, all you have to do is fill em with frosting and enjoy. Hopefully not all of them before someone else gets the chance to try...

They were even better then the Little Debbie variety. And so incredibly easy to make. This is next on my list to make for Gracen's snack day at pre-school. Oatmeal is healthy right? Right.

A couple of side notes... These are SUPER rich. I couldn't eat more than one (technically two cookies with some frosting) without getting a little stomach ache, but they're unbelievably good. And mine look nothing like P-Dub's professional ones. Mine did not stay rounded like hers, but they still tasted damn good. 

And to end this with a totally random piece of trivia about yours truly - this is the first time ever in my life I have used Crisco. Usually if I see Crisco in a recipe I toss it, because it creeps me out. It literally pained me to do it, because the mere thought of Crisco TOTALLY CREEPS ME OUT, but I survived. And now I have a tub of Crisco in my pantry (albeit the smallest one they sell). Ladies and gents, I've gone over to the dark side.

Excuse me while I eat some pie

One of the best parts about the arrival of fall and cooler weather,

is that I get my oven back!

No it didn't go anywhere, but in the summer heat, I try to steer clear of the oven.

But when the temp drops, the oven is the first thing I turn to come dinner time (or dessert time!)

So, of course the first thing I wanted to do was bake a pie!

I love pie.

Just about every kind.

But one that ranks verrry high on my list is Pecan.

I have never ever made a pecan pie before, so I was really nervous.

Just looking at them, the look kinda tricky.

Turns out they're pretty simple!

At the least the recipe I found.

It ended up being a perfect Fall treat, served warm with vanilla ice cream.

D-licious.

I just love the way baking makes your house smell, and it warms everything up!

Next on my list is to conquer an apple pie.

Unfortunately it's the Mr's favorite.

I say unfortunately becuase it's just about THE hardest pie to make.

Apple pie lover's are picky!