Pumpkin Chip Mini Muffins

A box of spice cake mix has been lurking in my pantry for a while now.  Unfortunately, I can't remember why I bought it!  So off I went to Allrecipes.com.  I saw a recipe for pumpkin chip mini muffins that sounded good.  Friends of mine from college raved about their pumpkin chip cookie recipe, but the comments I read on other recipes that used the cake mix for cookies, said they were very cake like and not the greatest.  So I decided to stick with the muffins.  Glad I did.  They turned out yummy!

 

Pumpkin Chip Mini Muffins

1 box spice cake mix
1 - 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix spice cake mix, pumpkin and egg until well mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Line mini muffin pan with paper liners or spray lightly with cooking spray.  Scoop in a tablespoon of muffin mix into mini muffin pans.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Test with a toothpick.

Yield: 36 mini muffins

Pretzel Bread

Pretzel Bread!?!  Yes please!  I was very impressed with this bread (even considering my yeast was a little out of date, and I didn't have bread flour).  The only down side was the quantity was small.  I guess I underestimated the yield of "two small loaves".   I didn't brush the bread with butter after it came out of the oven.  I did, however, eat a ham sandwich with melted cheese and mustard with it. Mmm. Mmm!

Pretzel Bread

1 packet (2 1/4 tsps) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 – 120 degrees)
2 Tbsp. milk, room temperature
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
3 Tbsps. melted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. coarse salt
3 cups bread flour (spooned and leveled)

4 quarts of water
1/2 cup baking soda

Coarse salt to taste
2 Tbsps. melted butter

Directions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the yeast, water, milk, brown sugar, and butter. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes so the yeast come alive.
• Mix in the coarse salt, then the flour, one cup at a time. The dough will be tacky.
• Spray a large bowl with cooking spray or coat with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, flip to coat on both sides, and cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, flip to cover both sides, and re-cover for an hour, or until roughly doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring 4 quarts (16 cups) of water to a boil. Gently deflate the dough and cut in half using a sharp knife or bench scraper. Shape each half into a round loaf.
• Slowly add the 1/2 cup of baking soda to the boiling water (it will bubble). Place one piece of dough onto a large slotted spoon and gently lower into the boiling water. Use the spoon to flip the dough in the boiling water for around 20 seconds, then lift the dough out of the water with the slotted spoon – allow the excess water to drip back into the pot.
• Set the dough onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat the water bath with the remaining dough. Sprinkle both rounds with coarse salt, then slash an X on the top of each with a sharp knife so the bread can expand while it bakes.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through.
• Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.

Yield: 2 small loaves

Recipe and photo from The Apron Archives.

Easy Cheese Garlic Biscuits

Don't think I've added this recipe.  It's a quick recipe and something you might have all the ingredients laying around to make at the last minute.  (For those of you that have been to the well-known seafood restaurant, these are very similar and will usually ease your cravings!)

Easy Cheese Garlic Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick Original baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/4 tsp + garlic powder

1.  Heat oven to 450 degrees F.  Stir baking mix, milk and cheese (and I've started adding approx 1/4 tsp garlic powder to mix) until soft dough forms; beat vigorously 30 strokes.

2.  Drop dough by 10 to 12 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Mix margarine and garlic powder; brush on warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.  Serve warm.

Yield: 10-12 biscuits

Chocolate Banana Bread

I found this recipe a couple years ago on Allrecipes.com. I love it because it's moist -- doesn't hurt that it's also DeLiCiOuS! Both the banana and chocolate flavors come out and blend nicely. Today, I made it with mini chocolate chips as a reviewer had suggested since I had them in the cupboard. I liked the smaller amounts of chocolate distributed throughout, but if you are a chocolate lover, you may want to use regular chocolate chips or chunks! I wanted to make it in a budnt pan as another reviewer had suggested, but it took too long to bake for the amount of time I had available. However, I will definitely try it some day! (Bundt cake takes an additional 15 minutes.)

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 cup margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar (optional 1 1/2 cups)
4 eggs
6 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup lite sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com. Photo shows mini chocolate chips.

Pioneer Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe is frommy mom. It can be made two ways -- with milk or evaporated milk. Using milk makes a puffy, cake-like muffin. Using evaporated milk makes the muffins like mini crustless pumpkin pies. Either way -- DELICIOUS! Of course a little whipped cream doesn't hurt!


Pioneer Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c margarine
1 1/2 c canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 cup milk or evaporated milk
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cream sugar, margarine and pumpkin.
3. Add eggs and mix well.
4. Add milk and stir.
5. Add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder. Blend well.
6. Fill greased cupcake pans 3/4 full. DO NOT use paper liners.
7. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Makes 24 muffins.