Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Muffins:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray top of a muffin tin with cooking spray and line the 12 cups with liners.

Prepare filling. Beat together cream cheese and sugar. Then stir in the egg and vanilla. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly stir together flour, both sugars, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and spices.

In another bowl, blend oil, egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until combined.

Fill muffin cups about 1/3 of the way full with pumpkin mixture. Spoon cream cheese mixture over pumpkin, dividing evenly between all 12 cups. Spoon a drop of pumpkin batter on top of cream cheese. Pumpkin batter will be thick and will not cover entire top, so the appearance will be similar to a bulls eye.

Bake for 23-25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Cookie Bars

I was looking for something chewy when I made these bars. The original recipe called for 2 cups of peanut M&M's, but I didn't have those so I just substituted semi-sweet and peanut butter chips. I probably should have done more than 2 cups though because the M&M's would take up more space than my chips did. They turned out VERY chewy. In fact, some in the middle were hard to separate because they were so chewy! Next time I will be making them in my Baker's Edge pan which ensures at least 2 edge sides to every piece. I bet they will be great in it. I'm going to do them with black and orange plain M&M's for school. I'll let you know how they turn out. Cookie Bars

2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups Peanut M&M's


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In another bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar together, stirring until evenly distributed. Allow to cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each egg. Mix in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Once combined, add Peanut M&M's. Spread into a 13" x 9" baking pan or 10" x 15" jelly roll pan.

4. Bake for 24-27 minutes. Try not to oven bake or they will be dry. Once done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Munchies

Thank you to www.bakeorbreak.com for this recipe.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Munchies

Chocolate Cookies

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 egg 1 Tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, beating well. Beat in as much flour mixture as possible using a mixer. Stir in the remaining flour mixture. Form into 32 balls, about 1 & 1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

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Peanut Butter Filling

3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 cup peanut butter 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Beat together powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Knead by hand if necessary. Shape into 32 balls. Preheat oven to 350°. Slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter filling ball. Shape the chocolate dough completely around the peanut butter dough. Roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough. Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking pan. Lightly flatten cookies with a glass dipped in the sugar. Bake for about 8 minutes or just until set. The cookie surfaces should be slightly cracked. Cool on pan for about a minute. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Note: Can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Peanut Butter Explosion Cookies

Thanks to www.cookiemadness.net for this amazing recipe! These cookies are sooooo rich and good.

Peanut Butter Explosion Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. peanut butter
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. peanut butter chips
1 package mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, frozen and cut into halves (freezing is key!)
1 c. Reese’s Pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl (I used my KitchenAid mixer), cream together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and Reese’s Pieces.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press a peanut butter cup half into the center of each ball of dough. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. I had to bake for 12 minutes to get mine done. ***Let cool for 1 or 2 minutes on sheet before removing, or they will fall apart.***

36 cookies

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

(Photo borrowed from google.com- if it is yours, please let me know and I will give credit)

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

INGREDIENTS:
2 quarts strawberries, sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons almond extract
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2--8 ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
1 C. sour cream
2 C. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. almond extract
16 ounce tub whipped topping or 1 pint cream, whipped
1 large angel food or pound cake, torn into pieces


PREPARATION:
Set aside some berries for garnish. Mix rest with sugar and almond extract. Set aside.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Fold in whipped cream.

In a trifle bowl, layer 1/2 cake, 1/2 berries, 1/2 cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers.

Thank you to my friend Tracy for this awesome recipe!

Butterscotch Marshmallow Blondies

Butterscotch Marshmallow Blondies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup butterscotch chips
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ** I used mini chocolate chips because that's what I had, but I will definitely use them again**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Using a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Pour in the butterscotch chips, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Mix in the melted butterscotch chips, then the flour, baking powder, and salt until smooth.
Stir in the marshmallows and chocolate chips last.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. The batter will barely cover the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven. Cool, and cut into squares.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Tint portions of a prepared white cake mix different colors and spoon them in the cupcake liners. They come out so cool! Kids love them.

S'more Cookie Bars

I made these to bring to our family barbeque for Labor Day. I thought they would be perfect since everyone loves a s'more at cookout! They were very tasty.

S'more Cookie Bars
from The Crepes of Wrath - originally from Baking Bites

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and/or line an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
4. Place chocolate bars over dough (2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate if necessary to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick).
5. Spread the marshmallow fluff over the chocolate.
6. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles or panels and laying them together).
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Birthday Cake

I made this cake for my brother's birthday today. He loves fixing cars, so I printed a picture of his car and mounted it on cardstock before putting it into the cake. I'm embarassed to say that it's a Funfetti cake mix under there, but that's what the birthday boy wanted!

The frosting looks a little weird because I used the color mist sprays. Some people in my family don't like a lot of dark food coloring, so I knew they wouldn't touch the parts with the road if I had used black frosting. They probably wouldn't have liked the green either. I think my frosting may have been a little too smooth, so the spray color was kind of drippy. Overall, I was happy with it. I thought it was a fun cake!

Pumpkin Bread

I was in the mood for this yummy pumpkin bread. I usually only make it in the fall but with canned pumpkin around, why wait? The only problem is that I actually didn't have canned pumpkin around. But I didn't realize this until I had already mixed all of the other wet ingredients. I had a can of squash, so I used that instead. Hopefully it won't make too much of a difference. I will share the original recipe since it is tried and true.

(This photo is the bread with no crumb topping)

Pumpkin Bread with Crumb Topping

1/2 C Corn Oil (vegetable oil is okay too)
2 Eggs, beaten
1/3 C Water
1 C pumpkin (canned)
1 2/3 C Sifted Flour
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 C Sugar

Mix wet ingredients: corn oil, eggs, water, and pumpkin

Add dry ingredients: flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon, and sugar.

When everything is all mixed, it will be slightly thicker than cake batter.

Pour into greased & floured bread loaf pan (I use cooking spray). Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Add crumb topping and bake for an additional 20-35 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.

Crumb Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs butter

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in 1 Tbs butter until it resembles corn meal.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe for chocolate chip cookies at http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/07/aunt-alecias-famous-chocolate-chip.html. I'm always looking for a bigger and better chocolate chip cookie, so I thought I'd try them. They were good, but I wouldn't say they are my favorite. I think I like mine thicker and more cake like. These were a bit flat and very chewy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter-flavored shortening (I like to make sure it's trans fat free)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3 extra-large eggs

1 tablespoon very hot water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3 1/2 cups flour

1 package chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and both sugars together until well mixed. Add eggs (extra-large eggs are really important - if I don't have that size I add 3 large eggs and then beat an additional egg in a bowl and add about half of the beaten egg) and mix for 5-7 minutes, until the batter is very, very light in color.

Add hot water and mix again. Add salt, vanilla, soda and mix. Add flour and chocolate chips together and mix until combined. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoon (I use a cookie scoop) onto parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheets and bake for 10-11 minutes until barely browned around the edges - don't overbake!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chipsters

Next up were these Oatmeal Cinnamon Chipsters. I found cinnamon chips at a local grocery store recently. I can never find them, so I bought quite a few bags and have them stored in the freezer. When I came upon this recipe, I knew they would be perfect for it! I wasn't sure if I wanted to add the chocolate chips because my husband isn't crazy about chocolate and oatmeal together, but I went for it after reading the comments found here along with the recipe: http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2008/05/oatmeal-chocolate-and-cinnamon-chip.html

I think these cookies are so good. I have never used the technique of adding butter to flour before mixing in with the other ingredients. I wonder if that is the reason these had such a great texture. I will definitely make these again. That is until I run out of cinnamon chips!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chipsters

1cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups quick cooking oats

2 cups cinnamon chips

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 1 stick (1/2 cup) of the butter in a mixer until smooth. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, add flour, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined. Add the remaining butter (1 stick) to the flour mixture and using your hands break up butter into flour until well combined and the butter is at least pea sized within the flour.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until well combined. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and chocolate chips. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Scoop onto baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.