Twix Brownies

My first non-pumpkin recipe! These are twix brownies. They are super rich and taste just like a twix bar! Yum!

Ingredients:
Crust Layer
1 (12.8 oz.) package of Simply Sandies Shortbread Cookies
6 Tablespoons butter

Brownie Layer
1 box of brownie mix (I used milk chocolate Pillsbury brownie mix)
Ingredients called for in directions on back of box
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping

Caramel Layer
1 (14 oz.) bag of caramels
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Topping
1 (11.5 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1. Line 9x13 pan with foil. 
2. Using a food processor, pulse cookies into crumbs. Melt butter. Add cookie crumbs to butter, stirring until all crumbs are moist. Press into bottom of prepared pan.
3. Prepare brownie batter as directed on the back of the box. Add in 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping into brownie batter (straight from the jar, unheated). Pour batter on top of cookie crust and bake as directed on the brownie mix box. Let cool. 
4. Place caramels and cream in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until caramels are melted smooth and creamy, stirring constantly. Pour over cooled brownies. Put pan in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to set the caramel. 
5. Melt chocolate, butter, and cream together in a microwave safe bowl (it took me 1 1/2 min I think?). Pour over cooled caramel layer. Return to refrigerator to cool. 

Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls

This recipe takes a little more time than some of the others I have posted. First, you have to bake pumpkin bread. Then, you have to let that cool. You then mix the pumpkin bread with cream cheese and roll into balls. Then those have to chill in the refrigerator. Then you dip them in melted white chocolate and let them chill again. And THEN you get to eat them. It's a lengthy process, but well worth the wait!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Bread – Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. Mix pumpkin and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, oil and vanilla and continue to mix.

3. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. 

4. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to pumpkin mix – beginning and ending with dry ingredients. 

5. Pour into loaf pan. Bake 45-55 minutes.

When the pumpkin bread got out of the oven I immediately crumbled it up in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator. It needs to be completely cool before you move on to the next step. Now on to the cake balls.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin bread

8 oz cream cheese

2 bags Nestle white chocolate chips (may need vegetable oil to thin)

Directions:

1. Once pumpkin bread is cooled completely, mix with block of room temperature cream cheese.

2. Form into balls and set on cookie sheet with wax paper. 

3. Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Melt white chocolate chips (I used about 1.5 bags of the chocolate chips). I melt the chips in the microwave for about 1.5 min. I had to add a little vegetable oil to thin the chocolate.

5. Use a spoon to dip the balls into the chocolate. Set balls back on wax paper.

6. Chill in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

These are pretty rich, so watch out! They will sneak up on you. I have learned from experience, as I am currently coming down from a massive sugar high. 

Pumpkin Kiss Cookies

These are 4-ingredient pumpkin cookies that are super easy to make! They also turned out waaaay better than I was expecting. The cookie itself is just cake mix and pumpkin puree. I was afraid they wouldn't have much flavor since you don't add any spices, but I was wrong! These cookies are packed with flavor and can be ready in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 Spice Cake Mix 18.25 oz

14 oz can Libby’s Pumpkin

1 Bag Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1/2 Cup sanding sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a stand or electric mixer beat the cake mix and pumpkin until well combined (about 45 seconds).

3. With a cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll top half in sanding sugar (dough is sticky) then place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until cooked through. Quickly transfer to a cooling rack and immediately press kisses into the center of each cookie. I immediately place cooling rack into the fridge for 15 minutes so the kisses don’t melt.

This recipe calls for sanding sugar, which I could not find at the grocery store. Instead, I used organic pure sugar cane. I thought the organic sugar worked just fine. The recipe also calls for a 14 oz can of pumpkin, but I could only find 15 oz cans. I just left a little spoonful in the can and called it good :)

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

This recipe ended up being different than what I imagined, but it still turned out great. The cookies are more the texture of a scone than a cookie. I still enjoyed them though, and I ended up eating way too many. I will say this recipe is not as overtly pumpkin as some of the others I have tried. It is very very subtle. Still worth making! 

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the coating:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of allspice

1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together to blend. 
2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars on medium speed until well combined. 
3. Next, still on medium speed, beat in pumpkin. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract. 
4. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients. Beat until combined, but do not over mix. 
5. Cover the dough, and refrigerate for one hour, until firm.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 
7. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices for the sugar coating. 
8. Scoop dough (approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Roll the dough ball in the sugar mixture, and place on the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. 9. Take a drinking glass with a flat bottom and moisten with water. Dip the glass in the sugar mixture, and use it to flatten the dough balls. Re-sugar the glass as needed.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

This is possibly the richest pumpkin dessert I've ever had. It is really really good, but a little goes a long way. Also, the term "cake" is misleading. This is definitely not cake.. I think it's more of a pumpkin cobbler/custard? Maybe? Anyways, here it is:

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup)

1 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  

2. Grease bottom of 9 x 13″ pan.  

3. Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Pour mixture into greased pan.  

4. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans.  

5. Drizzle melted butter over pecans.  

6. Bake 50-55 minutes (mine baked closer to 65 minutes). I also had a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it. Yum.

(that picture really doesn't do it justice... but I swear it's good!)

Pumpkin Smoothie

Okay, so amidst my high-calorie pumpkin desserts, here is a recipe that won't make you feel too guilty! This smoothie is not only good for your health, but it is delicious! I am obsessed. 

Pumpkin Smoothie:

1/2 banana
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Chobani)
3/4-1 cup vanilla soy milk (or milk of choice) 
Few shakes of pumpkin spice (Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice) 
Few shakes of cinnamon
Pinch of cloves
1tsp vanilla 
5-10 ice cubes
1-2 packets of truvia (optional- depending on how sweet you want it)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds. Sometimes I have to add more ice to get the appropriate thickness. 

Battle of the Pumpkin Breads

I found two great pumpkin bread recipes online, and I decided I had to try them side by side to find a winner. The first recipe is different than traditional pumpkin bread in that it has a pecan topping. 

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1/3 cup water 

1 (15 ounce) pumpkin puree 

1 3/4 cups plain flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

TOPPING:

1 tablespoon butter 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

3 tablespoons milk 

1/4 cup pecans, chopped 

1. In a medium size bowl beat eggs and mix with sugar, oil, water and pumpkin.
2. In another bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients only until just blended. Do NOT over-mix.
3. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes.
4. For topping: In a small saucepan mix butter, brown sugar and milk. Boil only 2 1/2 minutes while stirring constantly. Immediately drizzle on top of loaf. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and press pecans lightly into topping.
5. Wrap and store until next day for serving. This will keep moisture inside.

Pumpkin bread with pecan topping

The second recipe I tried was also not "traditional" pumpkin bread in that it uses dry vanilla pudding mix. The pudding mix helps keep the bread soft and moist.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 eggs
1 16-oz can of pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 pkg. instant vanilla pudding (dry)

Directions:
1. Grease 2 loaf pans. 

2. Mix oil, eggs, and pumpkin in mixing bowl and beat well. 

3. In a separate bowl sift together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix until blended. 

4. Stir in pudding mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (my bread was still goopy in the middle and had to be put back in the oven for about 15 more minutes).

Moist pumpkin bread

So which one is the winner? Well, I don't know. I loved the topping in the first recipe, because I am a huge pecan fan. However, I actually liked the bread of the second recipe better. The vanilla pudding mix made the pumpkin bread extremely moist. It also had a slightly different flavor, which I preferred compared to the first recipe. In the future, I think I might just add the topping of the first recipe to the second recipe. Best of both worlds?