Happy Halloween 🎃

It is a holiday and I like to bake. Enough reasons for me😉 Happy Halloween and enjoy! 🎃👻

Halloween spritz cookies 

COOKIE GUN NEEDED FOR THE SHAPES but dough does work for other cookies as well. 

Ingredients: 

2 and 1/2 cups ap flour 

Pinch of salt 

1 and 1/4 powered sugar 

1 egg 

1 cup unsalted butter (room temp- NOT TOO MELTED)

1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla 

Food coloring of choice

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees 

2. In your mixing bowl, cream butter and slowly add in the flour and salt.

3. SLOWLY add in the powered sugar so it doesn't explode all over 🙄 (not like that has happened to me or anything) 

4. Blend in the egg and vanilla.

5. Mix to make sure all is well combined.  

6. Optional separate dough into balls and add food coloring. I split this batch in half and did half orange and half purple.

7. Add dough to your cookie gun and add the shape attachment of your choice ( I did pumpkins and bats )

8. Press gun and dough onto  UNgreased Cookie sheet WITHOUT parchment paper. 

9. Place in preheated oven and bake 6-8 minutes. ( if only using one cookie sheet LET IT COOL between batches-dough will become to buttery to hold the shape if you do not.)

10. Transfer to wire rack to cool if you are a person with self control, unlike myself 😁😂

11. Enjoy :)

Wish granted........Almond Joy cookies

                                            

Someone who won't be mentioned… Posted a recipe for me telling me it reminded me of them. I know that means "Katie will you please bake this for me?"  AND another little birdie who also won't be mentioned asked if I would make them. Well, ask and you shall receive (unless it involves blueberries).

*Also if it makes it even better these are so easy to throw together.....I am a lazy baker and always use my mixer and I actually did NOT turn it on!) 

Ingredients:

• 1 Bag Sweetened coconut flakes(14 oz)
• 1-2 dark chocolate chips( I used one cup and then a bar of Trader Joe's dark chocolate chopped up)
• 2/3 cup chopped/sliced almonds
• 1 Can Sweetened condensed milk (14oz.)

Directions:
* I made my dough the night before and chilled in ball form overnight due to timing. Could be made either way. I actually think doing this helped them to stay together better. 

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine coconut, chocolate chips, almonds, and sweetened condensed milk (add milk in last).
   
3. Stir  with silicone spatula until combined.
   
   
   
   
4. Scoop out dough with a cookie scoop onto prepared baking sheet.(wear gloves ---very sticky!)
   
5. Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes or until tops/edges of coconut are just starting to turn golden brown.
   
6. Let cool on baking sheet.Then transfer to wire rack.
7. Enjoy!!

Slow cooker pumpkin coffee cake

Well this post is coming after the previous one so some of you might have not read that one. If you have you know I wanted to make pumpkin scones and nothing ever takes one can of pumpkin so therefore I just made two treats :-) this recipe is adapted from another great baker and her website. Enjoy some slow cooker pumpkin coffee cake.
 http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/10/22/slow-cooker-pumpkin-streusel-coffee-cake/

topping ingredients:

¾ cup old-fashioned oats

¼ cup white wheat flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp coconut oil

pumpkin cake ingredients:

2 cups white wheat pastry flour

1 ½ tsp  baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp  ground cinnamon

¼ tsp  ground nutmeg

¼ tsp  ground ginger 
pinch of salt

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 large egg white

nice pour of vanilla extract

1 cup  pumpkin purée

1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar (I did not have either so had to use lemon extract and now realize that was pointless because it needed the acidity).

1/3 cup maple syrup

1. Prepare the crumble
1. whisk together the oats, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. 
2. Add in the maple syrup and butter, mixing until completely mixed together. 
3. Line the inside of your slow cooker with foil, and  coat with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Spread the cake batter into the prepared slow cooker, and sprinkle the crumb topping over the top. Gently press the crumb topping into the cake batter. Cover and bake on “Low” for 2 hours 15 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker, and let the coffee cake cool in the pot for 10 minutes before pulling it out by gripping the edges of the foil. Place on a wire rack, slide the foil out from underneath, and let the coffee cake cool completely to room temperature before serving.
2.  For  the cake
1. Wisk the flour and next 6 ingredients (through salt) together in a medium bowl.
2.  In your mixer bowl, mix together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. 
3. Mix in the pumpkin purée. Add in the lemon juice and maple syrup, and mix until fully combined.
4.   Mix in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
   
5.  Spread the cake batter into the prepared slow cooker.
6. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top. 
   
7. Gently press the crumb topping into the cake batter. 
8. Cover and bake on “Low” for 2 hours 15 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker, and let the coffee cake cool in the pot for 10 minutes before removing it. 
9. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely. 
10. enjoy reheated or as is topped with some ice cream :)
    
    
    
    

Pumpkin apple scones :-)

Well if you don't know already, I live in New England. And I'm a little upset with this New England weather because I was unable to Apple pick this year, therefore I have not made many (any) apple treats. My mother has requested that I make my apple tarts and she even went and bought apples from the apple orchard. But I opened an email this morning and it had a recipe for pumpkin scones. Of course no recipes require a full can of pumpkin so I had to make two things :). The apple tarts will come next weekend. For now enjoy some pumpkin apple scones. Recipe adapted from this wonderful baker who comes out with some awesome recipes.....too many awesome recipes that I just keep wanting to make! http://www.fitmittenkitchen.com/vegan-pumpkin-scones/

•  
  
  
  
  
• Pumpkin Apple Scones:
• 2 cups white wheat flour
• ¼ cup stevia extract (dry) 
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground all spice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ⅓ cup coconut oil (I did not melt this)
• ¾ cup canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin puree)
• ⅓ cup skim milk
• nice pour of vanilla extract
• 1 Large honey crisp apple chopped ( I do not peel them...mainly because I am too lazy but hey the skin is good for you :) ).
•  
• Directions: 
• Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Chop apple.

1. In your mixing bowl add canned pumpkin,  milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined, set aside.
   
   
   
   
2. In a separate bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, & spices. Wisk to combine.
3. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix. 
   
   
   
   
4. Fold in the apples.
   
    
5. Shape dough into cookie sized circles. Place on prepared baking sheet. 
6.  Bake dough for 15-25 minutes. Tops should be lightly browned.
7. Let scones cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
8. Enjoy reheated and with some coffee :). 
   
   
   
   

Baking for my brother?

I know.....I am surprised myself, I never bake for my brother :). I mean it's not that I don't want to but I am just so tired after all those years of making easy mac for him 😂 He also doesn't have much of a sweet tooth (I don't know how we are related). He sent me this recipe http://www.runfasteatslow.com/blog/2015/9/25/superhero-muffins asking me to make it and I agreed because it actually sounded quite tasty, so it was a win win situation (unlike those mac and cheese days). I changed a few things around and added some spices and am really happy with them. I am going to try sunflower seeds next time! These will be a staple muffin recipe for me. Enjoy 😘

 Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal (might need a bit more if your zucchini is really watery)
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• Pinch sea salt
• 3 eggs 
• 1 cup grated zucchini 
• 1 cup grated carrot 
• 6 tablespoons coconut oil , melted 
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• Hearty pour of pure vanilla extract 

Optional add-ins: raisins, craisins, chocolate chips , sunflower seeds 

Directions:

1. preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with liners.

2. In a  bowl, combine the almond meal, oats, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and salt.  

3. In  your mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, zucchini, carrot, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.

 4. Add the almond meal mixture to the wet dream ingredients and mixed until just combined. 

5. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, add the batter into the muffin cups filling each one.

6. Bake 20-30 minutes (depending on size) until the muffins are  browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

7. Cool on wire rack. 

8. Enjoy! 

These freeze well for a go to breakfast!