Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

 Pumpkinfest rolls on. . . only a few days left of October to make all the pumpkin recipes I've found!

A very easy and absurdly tasty breakfast. These only take a few minutes to whip up and are sure to please whether they're made for a lazy weekend morning or a special weekday treat. 

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 oz semi sweet chocolate baking square, chopped into chunks
1 cup 1% milk
2 Tbsp apple sauce 
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla

• Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
• Blend milk, egg, canned pumpkin in a bowl and beat until smooth
• Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix until there are no more dry spots - Don't over-mix.

• Heat a skillet (use cooking spray/butter if necessary for your pan) and pour batter to make 6-8 inch pancakes
• When bubbles start to form and edges firm up, flip pancake and cook on med-low heat until cooked through
• Heat oven to 150F and put cooked pancakes on pan in oven to keep first batch warm while you finish making the rest
• Top with maple syrup and serve warm with a glass of milk

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting

                         

Sunday mornings are just about the only time I will put forth significant effort into breakfast. Last Sunday I was determined to have pumpkin cinnamon rolls (too good to be true, I know). I almost wimped out and used my usual cinnamon roll recipe that does not require yeast because I couldn't fathom waiting 2 hours to have them. My roommate convinced me to just go for it, and we had cinnamon rolls as the perfect Sunday lunch. The maple cream cheese frosting is unbelievable; I highly recommend serving the rolls with an extra bowl of it on the side for extraneous dipping.

I know they take time, but please just invite some friends over and make them, they are too good and welcome fall in such a beautiful way.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting 

Roll Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (approximately) All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Filling:
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting: 

8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 C maple syrup

Rolls: 

• Stir yeast into water in a large bowl and stir to combine. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. If yeast is not foamy, scrap the mixture and use a fresher yeast packet (there is nothing worse than doing all this work only to have the yeast not work)
• Stir in the milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, and spices.  Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
• Slowly add the rest of the flour (all purpose), a bit at a time, until the dough is stiff enough to knead. 
• Begin with 1 1/2 cups of flour and increase if necessary
• Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough (I used my kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook to do this because it made my life that much easier)
• Place the dough into a greased bowl - Turn the dough in the bowl to coat the entire ball of dough with oil
• Cover with plastic wrap and rise until doubled, approximately 45 minutes
• Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, and spices in a another bowl, set aside
•  Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle
• Melt butter and brush over dough; sprinkle with the sugar mixture
• Roll the dough into a log the long way
• Take a piece of dental floss and slide under  the log about 2 inches from the end of the log
• Bring the ends of the floss up while placing two fingers on top of the log to stabilize the roll (This gives a very clean cut to make the rolls. Slice the entire log and place roll into a greased 9"x13" pan
• Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated 375°F oven - Bake the rolls till they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20-30 minutes

some got a little who-villesque, always good to have some character in the kitchen!

Frosting 

• Beat cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth
• Slowly add powdered sugar and beat well
• Pour in maple syrup - add more powdered sugar if necessary to thicken texture 
• Generously cover the warm rolls in maple frosting and serve immediately 

Molasses Bran Muffins

As far as healthy things go, these little guys really take the cake in terms of breakfast muffins. They get a great amount of sweetness from the molasses, applesauce and raisins but have no added sugar or oil. I halved the recipe since which made the perfect amount of muffins for the rest of the weekend. I had some chocolate covered walnuts leftover from some baking the other night, which fed into my unending need for chocolate. But even with the added decadence, it’s still a breakfast/late morning snack to feel good about.

Moist Molasses Bran Muffins

1 cup Wheat Bran

1½ cups Whole Wheat Flour

½ cup Quick Cook Oats

¼ cup Golden Raisins

¼ cup Raisins

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 cup Milk

½ cup Molasses

3 Tbsp. Honey

¾ cup Applesauce

¼ cup chopped Walnuts

2 Eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400F

Combine the wheat bran, flour, oats, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl, stir in the raisins and nuts

In a separate bowl, blend the milk, molasses, honey, applesauce and eggs

Divide into muffin tin and bake for 12-15 minutes, makes 16 muffins

Enjoy right out of the oven with a nice cold glass of milk!

A sweeter side to breakfast

We all have those mornings that could use a little extra sugar. You're in a tizzy, running late searching for your keys and have no time to make a healthy breakfast. Your roommates left so many dishes around the sink you can't imagine sifting through them to find anything. Or maybe there's an upcoming tedious meeting that you are prone to dozing through. 

This bread cures it all.

I was engulfed by the slew of books in Strand this past weekend and completely overwhelmed with the plethora of cookbooks. Finally, I decided to get a book on breads, since that is the most uncharted territory for me. I settled on Bread: 150 Traditional Recipes from Around the World by Gail Duff. This recipe is adapted from the basic banana bread recipe in the West Indies region of all places. The original recipe doesn't call for the chocolate, but it felt necessary.

For those who haven't made banana bread yet and are still in that sad state of mind that considers brown bananas a bad thing, a short tutorial is in order:

perfect for eating

perfect for baking

I know they don't look particularly edible, but trust me the flavor of a ripe banana is much more rich and the texture is perfect for smooshing into a batter.

Banana Bread 

1/2 C. unsalted butter
1/2 C. sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 C. plain cake flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground. nutmeg
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1oz. dark chocolate baking squares, chopped
2 oz. walnuts, chopped

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, gradually beat in the egg
• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg
• Peel and mash the bananas
• Beat the flour and bananas alternately into the butter and sugar, beating and blending well
• Mix in the vanilla extract and 1 oz. of the chocolate pieces
• Place batter into greased loaf pan top with walnuts and remaining chocolate
• Bake for about 50 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean

It's best served warm, but if you make it late one night, its a great reason to roll out of bed in the morning. I sliced it up along with some zucchini bread and had to find some way to force myself to not eat the entire loaf, so I brought the bowl to some hungry graduate students across the hall from my lab who kindly devoured it.

So please, the next time you consider throwing away the bananas that you ran out of time to eat, realize that they just have a much higher calling than simply being sliced with your cheerios, and make banana bread instead!

 

Mom's Zucchini Bread

My pictures do this incredible bread no justice.

Throughout my childhood, my mom would amaze my brother and me with her delectable breakfasts. I took it for granted that every morning we would have a hot breakfast ready for us, and now I see how truly wonderful that was. One of my favorite smells to wake up to in the morning was zucchini bread. If you've never had some, it sounds like a very strange concept - squash bread. But it makes for a moist and delicious bread that is perfect for all times of the day.


I always thought that since I loved this bread so much that it must be difficult to make: if it were easy, wouldn't we have it every day? Thankfully, this bread is so simple to make, I can throw it in to the oven in about ten minutes, and then spend the next hour or so practicing harp as the sweet smells waft from the oven filling my entire apartment. 

I'll admit, I have played with my mom's original recipe a bit... partially because I like to avoid using oil in my baking as much as possible, and applesauce is such a great alternative. So here is my slightly adapted version of my mom's incredible zucchini bread. This version is quite healthy and definitely guilt-free, so after haivng some for breakfast, don't be ashamed to continue snacking throughout the day!

Mom's Zucchini Bread (adapted)

1/2 C. Apple sauce
1 mashed banana (optional, makes the bread very moist)
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 C. grated zucchini
1 1/2 C. flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 C. chopped walnuts (optional)

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Combine the apple sauce, banana and brown sugar until well mixed.
• Add the eggs one at a time, blending well between each
• Stir in the zucchini, half the wlanuts, and vanilla extract
• Blend the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and mix into the wet ingredients gradually
• Pour into greased loaf pan and top with remaining walnuts
• Bake for 45-55min or until top bounces back when touched

If you have a sweet tooth, this can easily be turned into a healthy cake by topping it with cream cheese frosting - chocolate, regular, or half of each!

(Chocolate) Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz. package cream cheese
4 C. powdered sugar
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
3-5 T. cocoa powder (optional, to taste)

• Cream together the cream cheese and lemon juice
• Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well between additions
• Stir in cocoa powder (if desired), adding more or less depending on how much chocolate flavor you desire
• Spread over cooled pieces of zucchini bread and top with raspberries and sprinkles

A quick word on biscuit cups

They're awesome. Simple, quick, and can be sweet or savory depending on what you are feeling. I got the idea here, and decided to make my favorite type of omelet into a biscuit cup.

I am sure you could make your own biscuit dough and it would probably be healthier and a bit tastier, but I was feeling lazy and found these babies in the fridge door and went for it.

The recipe is quite simple....



Split the biscuits in half lengthwise, flatten it out a bit and press into a muffin tin.

Then, prepare your desired filling:

I chopped up one andouille sausage, one garlic clove and half a red onion. Then at the last second I threw in 3 chopped up mushrooms too, because I can't resist adding mushrooms to almost everything I make. I whisked 6 eggs, added some crushed pepper, and mixed in the chopped veggies and sausage.

Use a 1/4 C. measuring cup to fill each of the cups. Top with a little parmesan cheese and fresh oregano leaves and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden and the egg mixture has puffed up and solidified.

Pull out and sprinkle with more crushed pepper if you like, and serve warm.

Don't hesitate to experiment with different fillings or veggies. For the bacon fans out there, try lining the inside of the cup with a slice of bacon before pouring in the eggs. Or if you have some berries that are on the verge of being too squishy, throw them in and bake for a sweeter treat. They are very portable and make a complete breakfast in a compact little package. So get adventurous and start rummaging through your fridge to make your very own biscuit cups!

Blossoming Blueberry Muffins

Its finally pretty reliably sunny in Amherst, which is wonderful. I absolutely love summer. Bright dresses, swimming in the sunshine, and eating fistfuls of fresh fruit until you feel almost a little ill, what else could you want?
Needless to say, I had plenty of blueberries in the fridge, so this was perfect. I also happen to love crumbles, and everyone seems to agree with that, so that felt undoubtedly necessary.

Tuesday mornings the engineering students have a morning meeting, which is my perfect excuse to make tasty breakfast foods. Two weeks ago, I went with this epic chocolate walnut coffee cake. 

It went over pretty well, but as everyone was leaving, one guy jokingly shouted back at me "hey! Next week can we have blueberry muffins" and walked away chuckling.

Oh. Random guy. Of course you can.

So I foodgawkered (one of my favorite verbs, like googled, but tastier) blueberry muffins and mixed up a recipe based on several others. If you haven't seen foodgawker, just do it. I almost renamed this blog Over-thought and Under-cooked because of the discrepancy between the amount of time I spend drooling over recipes I desperately want to try on that site and the amount of time I spend actually making them.

Blueberry Muffins with an Oatmeal Crumble

Muffins:

3 C. All Purpose Flour

3/4 C. Granulated Sugar

1/4 C. Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 C. low fat sour cream

1 Banana, mashed

2 large Eggs

8 tablespoons Butter, melted and cooled

1 package Blueberries (or other berries if you prefer)

Oatmeal Crumble:

3/4 C. Quick-cook oats

1/4 C. All Purpose Flour

1 C. Brown Sugar

4 Tablespoons Butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 375
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, and baking soda. Ensure that there are no clumps of brown sugar.
• In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
• Gently fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, being careful not to over-blend as it will make the muffins less light and fluffy.
• Mash the banana very well (a perfect use for those older and brown bananas) and gently add to the mixture. The older the banana, the more richer the banana flavor will be.
• Coat the blueberries in flour so they won't sink to the bottom of the muffins, and fold in until just evenly dispersed.
• Grease a muffin tin, or prepare a pan with muffin tins. The blueberries have a tendency to ooze a bit of juice onto the tin which can be very difficult to get off. Its probably best to grease the pan along the rim of each cup a bit even if you use muffin tins.
• Using an ice cream scoop (~1/3 C.), put the batter into each of the cup. It should make about 12 muffins, though I actually ended up with about 14 so I ended up baking a second tiny batch to use up the last bit of very delectable batter. For these last two I actually threw in a handful of oatmeal into the batter in addition to throwing the crumble on top.
• Now for the crumble: Mix together the ingredients and don't be afraid to use your hands a bit to really blend it all together. Crumble it over each of the muffins, pushing the pieces slightly into the batter so they won't fall off when the muffin expands
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden on top. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

As they baked, my apartment began to smell like like delicious blueberries. It felt more like a late Saturday morning than a late Monday night, but my roommates did not seem to mind in the slightest as they came through the kitchen in anticipation of the morning meeting where these things could finally be devoured.

These really puff up on top, which only emphasizes the utter importance of the oatmeal crumble.  Plus the giant blueberries made the juiciest little mountains beneath the it. 

The big bowl of muffins was happily consumed by all the engineers that I still don't know, and it made for a much more enjoyable early morning meeting.

And to all you Seinfeld fans out there, I can't think of a better recipe to use to say . . .

Top of the Muffin to You!