Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze

'Tis the season for all things pumpkin spice.  And if you are getting  married, like my forever friend Rachelle is, it only makes sense to have pumpkin spice donuts at your bachelorette  party.  And that's why I'm here: To bake you your wildest dreams.

Please excuse the boy parts in this picture, it is a bachelorette party after all!  ;)

Etsy helped me find the perfect accessory:  Diamond ring picks to make the donuts look like engagement rings.  =D  Super fast shipping too, this Etsy seller saved my butt.

The diamond picks were the perfect touch and passed all required taste tests.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Makes approx 16 donuts.Bake for 10-11 minutes at 325*

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
1/4 c. butter, room temp
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temp
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. pumpkin pie

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on high.
3. Add both sugars to butter and continue mixing on high until smooth. Add eggs one a time.
4. Reduce speed to medium and add pumpkin, vanilla and milk. Continue beating until mixture is smooth.  It will be slightly grainy.
5. Slowly add in dry ingredients mixture, beat until combined.
5. Transfer batter into a pastry bag or zip lock bag with a corner snipped off and pipe batter into the wells of a buttered donut pan.  Fill no more than 2/3 of the way.
6. Bake in oven for aprox. 10- 12 minutes or until the donuts rise and are springy to touch.
7. Let donuts cool a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Cinnamon Maple Glaze

Ingredients:
1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. good maple syrup
1 tbsp. milk (more or less as needed)

Directions:
1. Sift powdered sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add cinnamon.
3. Make a well in the center  of the sugar with your finger.
4. Pour the maple syrup and milk into the well.
5. Stir together with a whisk.
6. Add more milk, 1/2 a tablespoon at a time, if needed.  The glaze should come together, shiny and smooth with no clumps.
7. Dip the tops of your donuts into the glaze, making sure to coat the top completely.
8.  Set donuts on a rack to set the icing, about 30 minutes.
9. Insert picks into ends of donuts.

The glaze was perfect, you only need one coat.   The great flavor was largely aided by quality maple from Canada and a healthy dash of cinnamon.  Oh and all the good vibes I was sending its way.

Congrats Rach, I'm so excited for you.  I can't wait for the big day!

xoxo,
Anna

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice S'mores Cookies

Oh hai guys.  I'm just going to pretend that I have not been neglecting this blog for two months.

And what better way to break the ice than with Fall's It Flavor:  Pumpkin Spice.  

You know you love/hate it.  It's everywhere.  Ice cream, coffees, donuts, trail mix, pancakes, pop tarts, tea... It's out of control.  Sometimes its overly sugary and disgusting, sometimes it's pumpkin spice heaven.  I have had pumpkin pancakes that make it taste like fall exploded in my mouth.  And I have thrown away an entirely full container of TJ's pumpkin spice chai tea latte mix that made my teeth hurt after one sip.  It's a pumpkin spice gamble.  

No gamble here, however.  These Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice S'mores Cookies are not sugary and disgusting despite having so many components.  The pumpkin is subtle, the dark chocolate not too bitter and the oats help to balance out the sweetness of the marshmallow glaze.  Yes you heard right, these cookies will give you the taste of a sweet marshmallow glaze in every bite. 

Oatmeal Raisin S'mores Cookies

Makes 25, bake at 350* for about 12 minutes.

Cookies

1 c. flour

2 1/2 c. oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1 c. dark chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and baking soda together in a bowl.

2. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, around 5 minutes.  Add in egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add pumpkin puree and beat until smooth. 

3. On low, slowly add flour mixture to wet mixture and continue mixing until fully incorporated.

4. Turn off stand mixture and fold in oats and chips by hand.

5. Scoop dough onto lined cookie sheets and bake until edges start to slightly brown.  Remove from oven and let cook on a wire rack.  

Marshmallow Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp milk
3 tbsp butter
1 c. mini marshmallows

Directions: 
1. In a saucepan over low medium heat, melt butter completely.
2. Add marshmallows and stir until melted into butter.
3. Add milk and stir, remove from heat.
5. Slowly add powdered sugar and whisk mixture quickly until no lumps remain.
6. Pour over cooled cookies.  

I made these for no other reason than because I still owed people cookies from my AIDS Walk fundraising that I started back in April. Ha.  Hey, when it's hot it makes it really hard to bake.  Alas, it is now late October and the last heat wave from our California Indian Summers seems to have left us for good.  Chilly Fall mornings try to make me put on pants now. I'm resisting the pant wearing part of Fall, but the baking part?  I think it's time to embrace it wholeheartedly. I don't mine wearing aprons (or awesome baking gloves) one bit. 

xo,

Anna 

Walnut Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone!

The holidays are well under way and I've already gained my obligatory five pounds of winter squish.  A little early this year because I just came back from a 7 day cruise to Mexico where I ate my face off, yes, but also because I just had my first of at least four Thanksgivings.

Yes you read that correctly.  I am having at least four Thanksgivings this year.  And of course I will be baking for all.

The first thing I've baked so far are these very autumn themed Walnut Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes.  After two or so years, I think I have finally perfected my pumpkin spice recipe.  I'm very excited about that.  I'll be adding nuts each time I make it now though, that's for sure. But I am also very happy with the aesthetic of how they came out.  (That means I think they're prettyyyyyy.)

At first I was not even excited about making these.  Until I made a basic pumpkin spice cupcake my own, of course.  Add walnuts.  Add a ginger molasses cookie crust.  And more walnuts on top.  Done.

But I also wanted them to LOOK like fall.  I had done leaves before and I loved how they had come out but they needed something more.  And then I remembered the teeny tiny little leaf shaped cookie cutter that I had bought almost a year ago in a set of cookie cutters at Sur La Table.  I bought it for the star to use on my red velvet cupcakes, but the pack contained a leaf too.  I searched about the grocery store until I found some type of candy I could roll out and settled on gum drops because of the added sugar sprinkle flare. They're quite easy to roll out once you get the hang of it.  But until you get the hang of it, it's a sticky mess so beware.

Gum Drop Leaves
Large Pack of Large Gum Drops/Spice Drops
Small Leaf Cutter

Directions:
1. With a rolling pin and medium pressure, roll on top of gum drop. Turn gum drop 90* and roll again.  Flip gum drop over and repeat until gum drop is mostly flat, about an 1/4 inch long.
2. Press cutter over gum drop and remove excess gum drop from sides before pushing out the leaf.
Tips:  The reason you are are slowly rolling out the gum drop is because if you apply too much pressure and roll it out flat at once, you will make a sticky mess.  You want the gum drop to retain the sugar on top so that it not only looks pretty, but also so that you can still work with it.  Once it's too thin you won't be able to use it anymore.


Initially I wanted to use ginger snaps.  Unfortunately I couldn't find them at the two stores I went to and it was pouring rain so I ended my search and bought molasses cookies.  I spiked them heavily with ginger instead.


Ginger Molasses Crust  (optional)
1 package (10 medium-large) of molasses cookies
2 tsp ginger
1/8 c butter, melted


1. Crush cookies with rolling pin and place in bowl.
2. Add melted butter to cookies, add just enough to make the crumbs workable.
3. Add ginger. Spice to taste.
4. Place one tablespoon of crumbs at the bottom of a lined cupcake tin and press down.
5. Bake in oven for 3-4 minutes at 350* and set aside to cool.



Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Makes 15, Bake for 350* for approx. 15 minutes

1 1/8 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbls baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. oil
1 egg
1 c. pumpkin
1/3 c. sour cream
1/3 c. roasted walnuts

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, all spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
2.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir two sugars, egg, oil, pumpkin and sour cream until combined.
3.  Slowly add in your dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture, beat on medium speed.
4. Fold in roasted walnuts.
5. Scoop batter onto the top of the ginger molasses crust and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until done.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Cream butter and cream cheese in stand mixer until smooth.
2. Add in vanilla.
3. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time and beat until fluffy.
4. Frost cupcakes.

I can't say how much the walnuts added to these cupcakes.  Really.

That and the fact that they bake up super fluffy and full of moisture.

Actually I think it's the combination of the spice and the walnuts and the ginger crust that makes these so good. When people first bite into the crust, they know it's good but they aren't even sure what it is except that they like it.

It's all the flavors of fall (dressed up with a bow of course) in your mouth all at the SAME time. Awesome.

Let's see what else I end up making this week.  Hopefully you fill your kitchens and your bellies with something wonderful.

xoxo,
Anna

Autumn Themed Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting 2.0 turned into my first real baking failure.  Well, half failure.  Half the batch turned into a hot mess.  The other half were fine.  Luckily i was doing mini cupcakes though, so half a batch made 48 mini cupcakes, lol.  Exactly what i needed!  So this post wont be too heavy with the pictures on baking.  And  ill omit the actual recipe to the pumpkin spice cupcakes i made  (just use last years for now, and add more puree and sour cream).  I added too much butter, and while the first batch was cooking, the rest of the batter sat out on the cold counter and the butter started to congeal back together... so when it baked it was like broken butter bubbles.  Not pretty.

I WAS trying to add moisture to the recipe. So i added more butter, pumpkin puree, buttermilk and sour cream. But the butter was too much in the end... haha.

Instead we will talk about how ridiculously easy it is to make cuppycakes look fancy pants.  I found this tutorial online last year and book marked it.  When i found the same sprinkles later on i bought them so that i could use them one day. (Side note:  these were all the rage a few years ago in the cupcake world.  But since im just starting, its okay that i am behind on the times.) Then, last weekend, with two Thanksgiving dinners (omg so much food in two days) and limited time it became the perfect opportunity.  

So i made myself some quick directions that doubled as a template for the trees.  All you need is melted chocolate chips, Leaf sprinkles from Wilton, some parchment paper and a ziplock bag.

Melt some chips in the ziplock, make a small snip at the end of the bag (no tip needed) and make a thick tree trunk.  Then draw 4-5 branches.  Before the chocolate starts to harden, throw some leaves onto the branches.

 Don't forget that it's fall!  Not that many leaves left, therefore not that many needed on your tree.  I just made 4 and start to finish including clean up was 15 minutes.  Super easy.  Could have busted out more, but i had things to do that day.

Then i just carefully placed one little leaf on each of the mini cupcakes.  

And then i stuck the big trees in a cupcake and put them with the rest.  Super easy, super looks like it was hard work.  It wasn't.  Don't tell anyone.  :)

photo credit: pandipoo

photo credit: pandipoo

They were all eaten happily, with no one knowing how close to disaster the actual baking process was.  Sure more butter was consumed than was needed...  but that's Thanksgiving for you.  Your loved ones slowly killing you with fatty food.

xoxo,

Anna

P.S.  Happy Thanksgiving!  :)  I'm off to Costa Rica for 9 days, but i will be back the second week of December with an uber cute cupcake  >.< .  And then maybe something for New Years?  We'll see.  

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Take a look below. This is how many spices go into making pumpkin spice cupcakes. They aren't lying about the spice part, right?

A co worker brought in pumpkin spice bread last week and since then i had the urge to make them into cupcakes. Since my plans got canceled today and it was raining cats and dogs i decided to stay home all day and bake. For no one. Anyone want cupcakes? No, really.

Recipe here. I actually followed it step by step and am 95% happy with them. I just need to find a way to make all of my cupcakes more... moist? I need an official tasting team too. I don't know if thats possible though. ALL MY FRIENDS DON'T EVEN WANT MY CUPCAKES ANYMORE! whatever.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Makes 24. Exactly.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

(Use an actual sifter. This is what it looks like.)


(Why do you need one? To mix it all together, but also to catch bigger pieces in the ground spices. Cuz who wants to eat a little piece of clove?)

Beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Then add eggs one at a time.

Now time for the pumpking! Which kinda looks like baby food...



I mixed the milk and pumpkin together in one (big) cup. Then i added the 1/4 of the flour mixture and mixed, then 1/3 of the milk/pumpkin , then 1/4 of the flour... alternating until i ended with the last of the flour.

The batter smelled soooo good and pumpkin spicy. It was actually really thick, thicker than expected and made EXACTLY 24 cupcakes.

Cooked at 350* for about 21 minutes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,

softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy.

It's a very pretty frosting. The cinnamon makes it look fancier :) And it makes JUST enough to frost all 24 cupcakes.


I had my mom and brother try them. My brother ate three. My mom ate two.. sans frosting. And reminded me that she hated the chocolate peanut butter ones that i had made... lol

I'll be dropping off another 16 later today.... If they receive good enough reviews, i might remake it just as pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving.



xoxo,
Anna