Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

If you like to experiment with new recipes, you know that not every one you attempt is going to be a winner. But the only way to find new things and find those "keeper" recipes, is to continue to try new ones. I found this recipe for Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread on Pinterest more than a year ago, and it took me several months before I actually tried it. The first bite floored me. This is an amazing treat. You can eat this for breakfast or a snack or a dessert. The pumpkin flavor is subtle, but this treat is rather sweet. This concoction is a yeast bread, so it is a little time consuming, but it's not difficult and very worth the time and energy. The original calls for rum in the glaze, which I decided not to use. Also, she says she erred in how she applied the cinnamon and sugar. The first time I made this, I did it the way she did, the second time, I did it the way it should have been, and I found the second way to work better. So check out mine, and check out hers and decide for yourself how you want to make it. Either way, you will not be disappointed. 

Bread ingredients

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
2 1/4 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Glaze ingredients
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). 

Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. 

Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). 

Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. 

Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. 

Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Combine sugar and cinnamon is a separate bowl. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter.

Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan.

Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown.

Before bread is finished baking prepare the glaze. Heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and powdered sugar.

Pour over the bread as soon as you remove it from the oven.

Let the glaze settle and harden, and then try not to eat all the bread at once!

Yeast Rolls

If you're new to baking from scratch, let me assure you - this is the easiest bread you will ever make. Easy. Easy peasy. Did I mention, easy? Ok, enough of that. I made this during the holidays for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they were a big hit! I found the recipe on Pinterest, but it didn't link to a recipe. The image was the recipe. It was titled "One Hour Yeast Rolls." You don't have to knead them. All you need is a bowl and a spoon!

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

2 Tbsp yeast

1 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

3 1/3 cup s flour

In a large bowl, mix together warm water, sugar, oil and yeast. Let stand for 15 minutes until yeast mixture is bubbly.

Stir in salt and beaten egg to yeast mixture. Gradually add flour until dough is manageable (although it will still be slightly sticky).

Cover with a towel, and let dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. 

Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray and form dough into balls. Place balls so they don't touch on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Melt 2-3 Tbsps of butter and brush the tops of the hot rolls.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Some dishes we make are holiday dishes.  Meaning the only time of the year we make them are during the holidays or special occasions. That is what broccoli and rice casserole is for our family. It's not that we don't like it enough, it's just become the tradition to make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that seems to satisfy the urge for the next 11 months. I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe, but it's the one we've used since I was a little girl.

1 medium onion

3 Tbsp margarine

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1 lb Cheese whiz

3 cups cooked rice

10 ounces of chopped frozen broccoli (or two of the frozen blocks)

I always cook the broccoli and rice per the package directions before I begin the sauce. That gives them a chance to cool off a bit. In a medium size skillet, cook the butter and onions until they are softened and translucent.

Add the cream of chicken soup and milk and whisk until smooth.

Add Cheese whiz and whisk until smooth.

You can mix in the casserole dish, but I always seemed to have trouble because it was just too full to mix properly. I use a large bowl and combine the broccoli, rice and cheese mixture before I pour it into the casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until casserole begins to brown around the edges.

Walnut Cinnamon Winter Cookies

I really like Danish (or Mexican) wedding cookies. The little pecan shortbread-type cookies covered in powdered sugar. So, when browsing Pinterest several weeks ago, I knew I was going to have to try this recipe I found for Walnut Cinnamon Winter Cookies. These are similar to the wedding cookies, but they use walnuts rather than pecans, and they are a little bit "nuttier" than the wedding cookies. Oh, and the cinnamon. It adds a really nice flavor to the cookies, but I think next time I may cut it back to 1 1/2 tsp just to see. I thought they were pretty awesome, and they went over well for Monday treat at work. I didn't have too many left when I got home.

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour + 2 Tbsp
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.

Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Sift in 2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt.

Mix until just combined. In the bowl of a food processor, add the walnuts, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons flour. 

Pulse until the walnuts are well chopped, be careful not to let them turn to a paste.

Add the walnut mixture to the cookie dough, stir to thoroughly combine.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and drop the dough in tablespoons on it.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, allow to cool, and transfer to a cooling rack.

Pour the powdered sugar into a large zip-lock bag, toss in a few cookies at a time and carefully fully coat each one.

Remove from the bag and serve!

Sugar Cookies

Every baker has a favorite sugar cookie recipe, I think. This is mine. I use it year round to make seasonal shaped cookies. But I decorate mine with a rich buttercream icing rather than a thin glaze or something lighter. I like sweets. I like my cookies sweet. Just my thing. I've been making these sugar cookies for almost 30 years. Found the recipe in a Better Homes and Garden cookbook of my mom's. I have not yet found anything worth replacing this recipe either.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (195 grams)

1 cup margarine or butter, softened (8 ounces)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (375 grams)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Buttercream icing (you can find the recipe I use on this blog)

In large bowl, combine powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla and almond extracts, and egg. Mix until smooth.

Add flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Once you have a ball of dough, cover with plastic and refrigerate at least three hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half to 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth covered board (I've never actually used the cloth). Cut into desired shapes, and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. These don't really spread, so you can place the cookies pretty close together. Bake until edges are light brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Decorate as desired.

 

Fudge

I'm going to warn you now, this is the best fudge ever! A friend of mine tried some this Christmas and said, "Well this tastes absolutely sinful." Yep. That completely describes Easy Fantasy Fudge. That's what the recipe my dad gave me called it. I'm not sure where he got it... package of marshmallow cream? Package of chocolate chips? Yeah, I just don't know. All I do know is that this is the way my daddy made fudge, and I loved it. So this is how I make fudge, and it continues to receive good feedback, especially from my daughter. I actually had to tape up the container of fudge this year because she was going through it so fast! lol

1 1/2 cups butter (plus more for the pan)

6 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups evaporated milk

24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

13 ounces puffed marshmallow cream

2 cups diced walnuts

2 tsp vanilla

Grease one 13x18, two 9x13, or three 9x9 pans with butter. In a large pot mix butter, sugar, and milk and heat over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil. Boil stirring constantly to prevent scorching for five minutes, or until temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees.

Remove from heat. Gradually stir in chocolate chips until melted.

Add vanilla and marshmallow cream and mix until smooth.

Add walnuts and mix well.

Pour into prepared pan(s). Let cool at room temperature. Cut into squares.

While it is not necessary, I store my fudge in the fridge. I prefer the firmer texture that having it chilled provides.