52 weeks of baking: 43 - pumpkin swirl brownies

 

Pumpkin month continues with pumpkin brownies! My mom sent me a pumpkin brownie recipe not to long ago, and I totally was planning on making it, but I couldn't find it for the life of me! So Martha it was. This was one of those recipes that was meant to be. I had everything already, and that's rare. I had exactly enough pumpkin, and exactly enough baking chocolate. It was a great recipe to use up some of my baking stash!

My swirling technique clearly needs a little work. These are good. A little more cakey than I like my brownies, but yummy. I would definitely lower the pumpkin to chocolate ratio next time. For me, brownies are about fudgey chocolate, and with half pumpkin it just isn't enough chocolate action for me. I'd do about one third pumpkin, two thirds chocolate. And for some reason pumpkin bakes very cakey, which is totally cool if you're making a cake. I think because it acts similarly to eggs, and this batter already had quite a few well beaten eggs in it. Brownies should be dense and chewy, these are a little on the fluffy side. Definitely yummy, just not my ideal brownie consistency. Next time, as well as changing the ratio, I'd make the pumpkin and chocolate batters separately instead of splitting the same batter and adding chocolate and pumpkin, that way eggs could be left out of the pumpkin batter. But don't get me wrong! These are very good! Great for breakfast actually. And they're pretty!

52 weeks of baking: 42 - pumpkin coffee cake

 

Sick of pumpkin yet? We aren't! This pumpkin themed month is a lot of fun. There are just so many options! What I've learned so far is that pumpkin is an excellent replacement for eggs. So if you substitute a milk and butter alternative in many pumpkin recipes, you've got yourself a vegan baked goodie! This week we venture into the land of coffee cake. I went ahead and used another of Sally's Baking Addiction recipes and yet again I was not let down.

Out of all my Pyrex, the mixing bowls get used the most. It's a good thing I have a gazillion of them in a gazillion sizes because we use them for EVERYTHING. Like my dishwasher always has at least three in it and there's usually some more in the sink. They are so tough. And pretty. I love them! End of Pyrex gushing.

Don't hate on my drizzle game. It's harder than it looks. Maybe using something other than a dinner spoon would help, but whatever, I was in a rush to eat this cake! And yes, this cake is good. Oh my gosh is it good. The crumble on top gives it the perfect crunch and I love me some dark brown sugar, especially when mixed with butter and cinnamon. The cake is so moist and fluffy and delicious. And the simple icing is the... icing on the cake. I couldn't help myself there, I'm sorry. But really, the icing is the perfect addition of sweetness and texture, even if it looks like a terrible Jackson Pollock knockoff. This recipe is a keeper. We'll be making it again. I have a feeling this wont last long at our house this week.

Only TEN more weeks in the year you guys! How insane is that??

52 weeks of baking: 41 - pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Continuing with the pumpkin theme this month, I give you pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Because that just sounds amazing. As I am currently enamored by Sally's Baking Addiction and her easy and incredibly delicious recipes, I found this recipe and knew I had to get my bake on. And yet again, she delivers. These babies are good. Is there anything chocolate doesn't go well with?

They are chewy and soft and spicy and chocolatey and reeeeeally good. And interestingly, this recipe does not make a whole lot of cookies. It makes just what you see up there, a dozen, which in our case is perfect. We often end up tossing out cookies because recipes tend to make like... 1,000 cookies. There are just the two of us, so a dozen is perfect. Although we do love sharing our 1,000 cookies with coworkers and friends. So if you're making these for a large group, double it up. Or triple it! Brendon and I will probably knock these twelve out in the next day or so. They're good and we love dessert.

52 weeks of baking: 40 - pumpkin bread

Welcome October! I have been saving up pumpkin recipes just for you. I think I've got a full month planned out. Pumpkinfest 2013. We start the month-o-pumpkin out with a good ol' pumpkin bread. This recipe is from the October issue of Real Simple. It's a baked doughnut recipe, but I opted for the loaf option.

My loaf pan is a bit wider than the recipe called for, so I've got kind of a short loaf. But it's good! It's simple and so yummy, not overly spiced which I often find pumpkin flavored things can be. It's soft and fluffy and that icing? That icing is FANTASTIC. Bookmark this icing for later you guys, it's so easy and so good. Sour cream, powdered sugar, and lemon. That's it! It's a winner. I look forward to munching on this for breakfast. And snack time. And dessert.