Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

It's the first day of fall: cue all things pumpkin! Truth be told, I don't even like the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (horrors!), but I do love pumpkin baked goods. These bars were a new recipe find, and I really liked how they turned out. They're incredibly moist and super chocolate-y, just how I like my baked treats.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + 2 Tbsp for sprinkling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Let cool, then add the egg, pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth. Add the flour and stir until just combined; do not over-mix. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips. Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top gently with a spatula. Evenly sprinkle the 2 Tbsp of chocolate chips across the top.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until done. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs. Allow bars to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight container. Makes 16 bars.

source: recipe slightly adapted from a dash of lovely, originally from averie cooks

Pumpkin Cornbread

After posting my newest favorite soup recipe last week, I promised to share the pumpkin cornbread recipe. This cornbread was super moist, which makes or breaks a cornbread recipe, in my opinion. You could taste the pumpkin, but not overly so, which I also liked. This recipes comes together in no time, and stayed tasty for three days, well covered (might have stayed fresh longer, but that's how long it took us to finish it all). This is the perfect cornbread to pair with your soups, chilis, and stews this fall!

Pumpkin Cornbread
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup cornmeal
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp honey

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8x8" baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then stir in the pumpkin, oil, and honey.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top as much as possible.

Bake 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

source: recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

P.S. Buttermilk Cornbread with Monterey Jack Cheese.

Italian Chicken Soup

My favorite soups are always the creamy or cheesy ones.  Probably because they end up not being as healthy for you, but a warm, creamy bowl of soup on a cold fall day just hits the spot!  I made this soup several weeks ago, and it made enough to feed an army!  After we ate it for a couple of meals, I divided up the rest into containers and stuck them in the freezer.  I love having ready-made meals on hand, especially now that the days are shorter and starting on dinner when it's already dark out doesn't always sound like fun.

Italian Chicken Soup

1 lb Ditalini pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken

8 cups chicken broth

1 medium onion, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

2 fresh jalapenos, diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups heavy cream 

1 Tbsp dried oregano

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook pasta in pot according to package directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water to cool.  Toss in 1 Tbsp olive oil and set aside.

Remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken and shred.  Set meat aside.

Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to a large pot and saute the onion, green pepper, and jalapenos over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and diced tomatoes with their juices. Bring a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.  Can leave covered and simmering up to a few hours.  Before removing from heat to serve, add the cooked pasta, the heavy cream, and the oregano.  Add salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.  Top with parmesan cheese to serve, if desired.

source:  recipe adapted from the pioneer woman

Apple Pie Squares

When we lived in China, English reading material was a precious commodity.  I had read all of the books I owned about four times, and I was desperate for anything new.  So I started reading old issues of Good Housekeeping that were lying around the house.  (I was in 9th grade.)  In one of those issues, I found this recipe.  I made these for the first time in China, in our tiny oven that was no bigger than an Easy-Bake oven.  Since then I've tried to make them every fall.  I'm not a big fan of the traditional apple pie, but I do love these squares with the buttery shortbread crust and the streusel topping.  If you're overwhelmed with the variety of pies expected for Thanksgiving dinner, skip the apple pie and make these instead!

Apple Pie Squares

for the streusel

1 cup flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together until mixture comes together.  Shape into a ball.  Cover and chill.

for the shortbread crust

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

Combine flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Press crumbs into the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.

for the apple mixture

3 Tbsp butter

3 lbs apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

While the crust is in the oven, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add apples, sugar, and cinnamon and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In a small bowl mix cornstarch and lemon juice; stir into apples until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Spoon apples over warm crust.  Place pieces of chilled streusel topping over the apples. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until streusel is golden.

source:  recipe adapted from an old issue of Good Housekeeping

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

I think this pumpkin bread is magical.  When I was pouring the batter into the pans, I miscalculated (what else is new) and didn't have enough batter to cover the cream cheese filling in the middle.  Half-way through baking when I checked on the bread, the cream cheese had puffed way up over the edges of the pan, with like no pumpkin bread part in sight.  But when the bread was done, the cream cheese filling had somehow settled down more into the bread and it turned out just fine!  So moral of the story is, even if you aren't much of a baker, you can't screw this bread up! :)

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

for the cream cheese filling:

8 oz pkg of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

for the pumpkin bread:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make the filling, process the cream cheese in food processor just until smooth.  Add the sugar and process until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time, processing until just incorporated.  Do not over process.  Stir in the flour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and lightly flour two 9x5-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  

In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten.  Add the sugar and melted butter and whisk until blended. Stir in the pumpkin, water, and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined.  Do not overmix.

Divide the batter in half.  Take one half and divide it evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.  Divide the cream cheese filling in half and place each half of filling on top of the batter in the two pans, smoothing the tops.  Top with the remaining half of the batter, placing small dollops of batter over the cream cheese filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.  Place pans on wire racks and let cool for 10 minutes before removing bread from pans.  Store bread in the refrigerator.

source:  recipe adapted from joy of baking

Pumpkin Apple Bread

Sometimes when I'm doing my fall baking, I like to pretend I'm Amish.  I'm not sure why because I really like all of the amenities of life in the 21st century.  I think it must have something to do with how cozy Amish life sometimes appears:  with the candlelight and buggies and the big families getting together to eat all of that delicious food.  And fall is just a cozy season, don't you think?  This pumpkin apple bread was the first fall baking that I've done and I loved that it made our house smell like fall!  I've never made anything with apples and pumpkin together, but I think the blended flavors epitomize everything I love about fall baking.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Apple Bread

for the topping

1 Tbsp flour

5 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

for the bread

3 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 (15 oz) can solid-pack pumpkin

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 2 cups)

Make the topping:  Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Make the bread:  Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon into a medium bowl*.  Whisk together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl.  Add the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined.  Fold in apples.

Divide batter between two buttered 9x5" loaf pans.  Sprinkle half of the topping evenly over each loaf.  Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool loaves in pans on a rack for 45 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.  This bread keeps, wrapped in plastic wrap and foil and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.  It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.

*Note:  I eliminated the remaining spices in the bread due to personal preference.  If you like a spicier pumpkin bread, add 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, and 1/4 tsp ground allspice to the dry ingredients.

source:  recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook

Cooking in the Fall

Yesterday I busted open my first canned pumpkin of the season!  Having our house smell like pumpkin definitely got me in the mood for baking and cooking this fall.  Here is some of my fall cooking inspiration from pinterest.

Caramel Apple Cider

pinterest via our best bites

French Onion Soup

pinterest via annies eats

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

pinterest via annies eats

Cornbread

pinterest via couldn't be parve

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

pinterest via annies eats

Chili

pinterest via how sweet it is

Whoopie Pumpkin Pies

pinterest via food network

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

pinterest via polish the stars

Turkey Cake Pops

pinterest via bakerella

What are you looking forward to baking/cooking this fall?