cookies are the key to world peace.

Day 7 of 12: Pumpkin Muffins :)

So, I’ve kind of been slacking on updating my “12 Days of Cookies.”  Actually, I’ve been a complete bum about it.  It’s just, you see, I’ve been a little discouraged.  Discouraged, I say?  Why so?  Well, the other day, my camera died on me — while I was trying to capture the little goofy moments of my brother’s 22nd birthday.  I went into my mom’s room to look for the camera battery charger, but it was nowhere to be found. :(  I thought we had a spare charger at home, which is exactly why I didn’t bring mine home from school.  Now I’m in Portland and camera battery charger-less.  Of course, I can still use my phone to record the results of my baking spree, but the quality is just disgusting… I promise my food doesn’t look THAT bad.

Anyway.  Onto a few brighter notes…

Today’s Christmas!  Merry, merry Christmas, everybody!  I hope it’s full of lots of high quality, ridiculously delicious food — and even higher quality family time. :)

Because I’ve been slacking on my posting so much lately, I’m going to be doing a few speed posts today (to catch you up with all of my baking projects).  I’ve decided to change these “12 Days of Cookies” into “12 Days of Baking/Cooking.”  To be honest, making cookies was getting a little repetitive.  Don’t get me wrong, I love baking cookies; cookies are probably my favorite thing to bake.  But I thought I would stray off the cookie route and explore some other recipes I’ve been dying to try (my brother bought me a muffin pan when he got home, so I definitely had to incorporate that into my holiday baking).

Pumpkin muffins, the first thing I made in my new muffin pan. :)  I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  These were pretty delicious.  So perfectly soft and fluffy, just the way I like my muffins.  I do wish these muffins were more pumpkin-y; I feel like the sugar just kind of overpowered everything else in this recipe.  But, toasted up or eaten at room temperature (or even cold), these pumpkin muffins make for a great breakfast bite. :)

Sorry for the horrible picture quality.  I really wish my camera was working; this photo doesn’t even come close to capturing the true essence of the muffin…

Pumpkin bread. :)

I can’t even begin to count how many pumpkin, apple, and cranberry recipes there are floating around the internet right now.  They all sound so delicious, and I wish I could make all of them!

In this lovely, crisp Autumn weather (in both California and Oregon), I can’t help but be lured into trying a recipe that contains pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, chives, and all-spice.  Plus, I’m on Thanksgiving break (for a whole week).  What else am I supposed to do but bake tummy-filling, heart-warming, signature holiday goods? :)

I decided to begin my holiday baking spree with something simple, yet delicious: pumpkin bread.  I got this recipe from The Delicious Life.

I adjusted the recipe a little, using light brown sugar instead of dark brown (I’ve just had some bad experiences with dark brown sugar, but I’m sure it would’ve been delicious in this recipe.  Plus, I didn’t have any on hand.).  I also used soy milk instead of buttermilk, and sprinkled the top with some sliced almonds.  My baking time definitely took more than 50 minutes, but I did accidentally over-bake (distracted by a phone call.. oops).  I think about 60 or 65 minutes would’ve done the trick.  Unfortunately, my over-baking resulted in a loaf of pumpkin bread that was a little more dry than desirable.  But it’s still pretty delicious, especially when toasted. :)

I’ll definitely have to try this recipe again some time this week, without over-baking.

And, I apologize for the poor picture quality.  I left my camera at school in California, so I’ll be resorting to phone camera pictures during my stay in Oregon.

It might’ve just been the lighting in the kitchen, but the pumpkin chocolate chip dough was an amazing orangey color!

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! :)

FINALLY.  I found some time to go grocery shopping and bake!  After not baking for a few weeks, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make.  I was hesitant to try anything new, given that this was my first time using Robinson’s kitchenette (my dorm kitchen).  And the last time I started baking after not baking for a long time, it was a huge disaster.  But with the weather changing, the air getting crisper, the leaves turning red, yellow, and orange, and the first round of fall quarter midterms coming up, I wanted to bake something with a signature “fall taste” to it.  I knew I had to incorporate some pumpkin into whatever I made!

I got this recipe from a cookie book that I ordered the other day: Big Fat Cookies (or, as Rodney likes to call it, “Big Ass Cookies”.. haha), by Elinor Klivans.  I’ve had my eye on this book all summer, and I finally got myself to buy it when I got back to school.  I’m so happy that I did!  All of the recipes seem so creative and delicious.  I’m so excited.. I want to try everything!  These cookies turned out really fluffy and muffin-toppy.  I kind of wish the pumpkin flavor was a little bit stronger, but it’s definitely there.  The original recipe called for butterscotch chips, but I couldn’t pass on including some chocolate .. of course.  The original recipe also just called for cinnamon, but I added a dash of nutmeg (I love my spices).

My goal for this quarter is to bake at least once a week.  I’ve gathered so many recipes, and I’ve bought one cookie book, and one general dessert book (by Dorie Greenspan.. AH!).  This is definitely one of my favorite ways to get my mind off of school (aside from climbing!), and to just relax.  Another great part?  I get to share with everybody. :)

All of these cookies got eaten up pretty quickly, and I’m so glad.  I think this recipe is a definite keeper!

Pumpkin Roll: My first jelly roll cake! :)

A pumpkin cake rolled with cream cheese filling.  So, I definitely need to work on my rolling, but this isn’t too bad for my first try, right?  Haha.

Well, I got this recipe off the back of a Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin can label.  My mom absolutely loved it! I haven’t gotten any negative feedback from my test-tasters (and I find it pretty delicious myself), so I’m thinking this is a recipe to keep.

I have tons of pumpkin left over, though.. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies anybody?