Super Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (or Muffins)

OurBestBites posted this as an easy pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe.  The muffins were great, and this is the cookie form that was just as good.  I've changed it just a bit from their recipe to work with ingredients I usually have on hand (i.e. a yellow cake mix instead of a spice one).  I've even made it with a gluten free cake mix for my sister-in-law and they turned out fabulous too.  With only four ingredients, you will be done in no time.  Plus, before adding the chocolate chips, a large cookie (or one muffin) only has 1 weight watcher point (not that I'm doing weight watchers, but I thought that inquiring minds might like to know that tidbit of info that was on the ourbestbites recipe.)  The original recipe called for a 30 oz. can of pumpkin and two spice cake mixes.  I half the recipe and use yellow cake instead with some pumpkin pie spice added in.  If you choose to make muffins, you can fill the cups almost full as the muffins will not rise very much.  Also, to make the muffins prettier you will want to smooth out the tops - a finger dipped in water works as a great tool for that.

15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 yellow cake mix
1 to 1 1/2  teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (add 1 tsp and then taste the batter to see if it needs more - since there are no eggs in the batter it is safe to try it) - if you don't have pumpkin pie spice, to get about one teaspoon you can substitute: 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg
6-8 oz. chocolate chips (as many as you would like - I think I added about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix pumpkin, cake mix, and pumpkin pie spice together until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Scoop rounded tablespoons onto greased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes for large cookies, or 15-20 minutes for smaller ones.  To make sure they are done inside, you may want to break one open to check for doneness (and then pop it in your mouth and enjoy!).  What a great way to welcome Autumn!

Strawberry Vanilla Pancakes

We had these this morning and they were pretty yummy!

1 1/4 c flour

1 TBS brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 c buttermilk

1 egg

1 TBS oil

2 TBS vanilla

2 c strawberries, diced

1-2 tsp sugar

zest of 1 orange

In a small bowl, mix strawberries and orange zest with 1-2 tsp sugar. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk butter milk, egg, oil, and vanilla until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold in strawberries.

Blueberry Muffins with Lemon

Wow!  These were so yummy.  Another recipe I got from thesisterscafe.com.  They had just the right hint of lemon.  I used buttermilk instead of the milk called for because I needed to use it up, as well as fresh blueberries instead of frozen because that is what I had.  Also, I used butter, not shortening.  For the topping, I only made up about half of what is called for and that was plenty, with a little extra to spare.  Scott called these his new favorite muffin - although, he doesn't like blueberries so his were blueberry-less. :)  Totally worth giving a try!

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening (or butter*)

1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping (this makes extra – you can try cutting it down if you want):

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tb lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat egg, milk and shortening. Stir in blueberries. Add dry ingredients and lemon zest. Stir gently to combine. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 12 muffins.

 

Cornmeal Pancakes

This recipe was on the top of a big Dannon yogurt I bought and I was intrigued.  My kids love pancakes and they also love cornbread, so it was definitely worth a shot.  They loved them and I thought they were yummy too.  Just another way to change up breakfast a bit.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cornmeal
3 Tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
(1/3 cup raisins, plumped - I did not use)
1 1/2 cups Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Nonfat yogurt - recipe says you could also use strawberry - not sure how I feel about that :)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil

Whisk together dry ingredients.  Stir yogurt, eggs and oil with a fork in separate bowl, then stir into flour mixture until blended.  Heat a lightly greased skillet over moderately low heat until hot. (I did not grease my non-stick skillet and it was just fine without it.)  Pour 1/4 cup measures of batter onto skillet and cook about 3 minutes, or until golden, then turn and cook 1 minute more.  (It was important to have the heat lower than I would normally cook pancakes to make sure the middles got done.)  Serve with warm maple syrup.  I tried mine with honey butter and that was delicious too!  Makes appox. 12, 3 1/2 cakes.  Enjoy!

Power Bars

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 ¼ cups Rolled Oats
1 ¼ cups Chopped Toasted Walnuts
½ cup Oat Bran
1 ½ cups Puffed Cereal You Like,pounded into smallish bits
1 cup Dried Cranberries, coarsely chopped
3 Pieces Of Dried Crystallized Ginger,finely chopped
1 cup Brown Rice Syrup
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Salt

Directions:
First grease an 8" x 8" baking pan with the oil. In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients. Combine the brown rice syrup and vanilla together into a small bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds or cook on stove in a small pot until slightly warm and a little thinner in texture. Pour onto dry ingredients. Press the mixture into the greased pan. Freeze for about 45 minutes, until hardened. Cut slices as big or small as you like. Store in the fridge.

Peanut Butter and Honey Granola

Ingredients:

3 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 cups Shelled Roasted Peanuts
1 cup Hulled Raw Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup Wheat Germ
1 ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Ginger
½ cup Honey
½ cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1 cup Natural Peanut Butter, smooth or chunky
1 ½ tsp Vanilla
⅔ cup Vegetable Or Olive Oil
¾ cup Chopped Dried Dates

Directions:
Heat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine oats, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.

In a small saucepan, mix the honey and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the oat mixture. Pour in the oil, and stir thoroughly. The mixture will be chunky and rough.

Spread the oat mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring twice while baking. Transfer the granola to a large bowl and add the dates, tossing to combine.



Additional Flavors & Add-Ins:
• Chocolate & PB: ½ cup chocolate chips, after the granola has completely cooled.
• Tropical PB: 1 cup unsweetened coconut, added before baking, plus ½ cup each dried pineapple and banana chips added after baking.
• PB & J: ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup raisins added after baking, instead of the dates

Sausage Casserole

Matt found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and wanted to have it for Christmas morning. So we decided to make it and it turned out very delicious.

• 1 pound sage flavored breakfast sausage
• 3 cups shredded potatoes, drained and pressed
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 12 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup onion, shredded
• 1 (16 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
• 6 jumbo eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch square baking dish.
2. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture. In a bowl, mix the sausage, Cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese, and eggs. Pour over the potato mixture.
4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the casserole comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes: I browned onions with the sausage and instead of 6 eggs I used 8. Everything else was perfect. Some reviewers also suggested that you can use frozen hash browns which makes this dish very easy to make.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe was on Best Bites and I thought I would give it a try. It turned out delicious! I didn't refrigerate them overnight - just while we were at church and they turned out perfect. I took some over to the neighbors and they called 15 minutes later raving about them. I also made a cream cheese glaze instead of the one on the recipe. I put both so you can choose what you like. YUM! Watch out Cinnabon!

Dough
1 T active dry yeast
1/2 C warm water (105 degr F/ 40 deg C)
4 1/2 C all-purpose flour (22 1/2 oz 700g)
4 large eggs
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) real butter at room temp

Filling
1/2 C (1 stick) real butter at room temp
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1 T cinnamon

Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
2 T butter, melted
2 T milk or cream
1 t vanilla extract

OR CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, allow to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 C of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.

Add the eggs, sugar, butter, and remaining 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until smooth 10-12 minutes. Add a bit more flour to reduce stickiness if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

While dough is rising, prepare filling. Take 2 T of the stick of butter and set aside. Beat remaining butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until combined and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 15x10 in. Spread filling onto dough and roll up length-wise.

Use string or dental floss to score and cut the dough into rolls. You can make 12 small rolls, 10 medium ones, or 8 large. Place cut side up in baking dish. Melt the reserved 2 T butter and brush on top of rolls. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

The next morning remove from refrigerator and let rise until half again as high, about 1 hour. While rising mix glaze ingredients until combined. Preheat the oven to 350. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Spread the glaze over warm rolls and serve.

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes

We like pancakes in the morning. I like to try new recipes of pancakes, so Emma doesn't get bored of the same ones.  These pancakes are really good. 

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
makes 8

1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl. 

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. 

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter. Use a ladle or measuring scoop (we used a 1/3 cup measure) to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown.

Serve with your favorite syrup.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Well, i see that the competition for the Best Chef is going on here and it's totally between Suzy and Wendy, but i decided just to post one little recipe. I like to make different kinds of pancakes for breakfast. I saw this recipe online on some cooking blog and thought i'd try it. So I made them the other day and we all loved them. 

Cottage Cheese Pancakes  

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk
1 cup full-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cups finely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup dried currants, plumped (optional)

2 large egg whites

Pure maple syrup or honey, or plain yogurt (optional, for serving)

1. Lightly butter, oil, or spray your griddle–nonstick works best with these, if you have them–if needed, and preheat it over medium heat. If you are using an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F if you do not plan to serve the pancakes hot off the griddle.

2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon or nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, cottage cheese, butter, egg yolks and vanilla.

3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. Stir in the walnuts and/or currants, if using them.

4. Beat the two egg whites until they are stiff but not dry and fold them into the batter.

5. The batter will be thick and bubbly - similar to cake batter. Spoon 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake, nudging the batter into rounds. These are thick and might take a little longer to cook than most other pancakes. Cook until the top of each pancake is starting to dry around the edges - you will get a few bubbles here and there - then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned. These will keep in a 200 degrees F oven while you finish making the rest, but they are best served immediately, when they are at their lightest and puffiest.

My Notes: I didn't separate eggs, i just mixed whole eggs with the wet ingredients. Maybe my pancakes weren't as puffy as they are supposed to be, but they were still pretty good.

Puffy French Toast

This is the first french toast I ever had. It's a little different, but delicious, even though it is fried, so not as good for you. I guess it is kind of like a combination of french toast and funnel cake together.

Sift together:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend in:
1 cup milk
1 egg

Beat until smooth. Cut bread slices in half. Dip bread into batter, then fry in hot oil, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Serve with syrup and/or powdered sugar.

Sausage Brunch Casserole

I made this for a bridal shower and we had it again yesterday for breakfast. You can pretty much put anything into the egg you want - veggies, bacon, whatever you like in an omlette - and it is very yummy.

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork sausage
• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Lay crescent rolls flat in the bottom of the pan. Combine cooked sausage, cheese, eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over crescent rolls.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until bubbly and rolls are baked.

Funnel Cakes

These were a special breakfast treat at the Dalton house. I actually have never even had one from an amusement park or fair!

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbl sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Also:
oil for frying
powdered sugar
and/or syrup

Combine dry ingredients. Add egg and milk, beating until smooth. Heat 1/4 inch oil to 375 in a skillet. Using a funnel with a small opening or a measuring cup or a clean plastic bottle that you can refill and squeeze batter out of :), release 1/4 cup batter (or more) into oil in a slow circular motion to form a spiral design. (I usually do a couple circles and then just criss-cross back and forth a few times. Just make sure all the batter is connected to the other parts of the batter in some way - it doesn't have to be pretty to taste good in this case.) Fry until golden brown on bottom, turn over and brown on other side. (About 1-2 minutes total.) Drain on paper towels, then serve hot sprinkled with powdered sugar or syrup, or both.

Yogurt Muffins

I found this recipe online on some blog and decided to try it out. It turned out pretty good. Emma can eat these muffins all day long :)

1 egg 
1 c yogurt (i used stonyfield farms organic fat free french vanilla just because i bought some for emma this week) 
2/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla 
3 Tbsp canola oil (or try applesausce instead) 
2 c flour
1 Tbsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
extras (i used 1c of cut-into-pieces plums, mini chocolate morsels and also some almonds)

Combine and stir the wet ingredients, then sift dry ingredients together, fold the dry into the wet until just incorporated (do not overmix) and stir in your extras - fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, oatmeal, zucchini, whatever. Put batter into muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes (baking time may vary depending on the moisture level of what you've added)

makes 1 dozen muffins 

Raisin Bran Muffins

Mom requested I post this - these are pretty good muffins. The get a little crunchy on the top and taste really good warm.

1 1/4 Cup Plain Flour
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Cups Raisin Bran Cereal
1 1/4 Cup Milk or Buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

Begin by placing cereal in the bowl with the milk to soften. Stir in the egg and the vegetable oil into the cereal and milk mixture. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Makes about 18 muffins.

Bacon, Cheese, & Chive Strada

This is really good.... it makes a ton though. So if you are only feeding a few people you probably want to cut the recipe in half and put it in an 8x8 inch pan. :) Tanner and I usually eat this for dinner then have the left-overs for breakfast. They are good as left-overs too.

Ingredients:
1 Lb sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion chopped
8-10 slices white or french bread, cubed
1 cup hash browns (I just use the frozen cubed ones)
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (12oz)
10 eggs
3 cups milk
1/4 cup fresh chives
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
sea salt & pepper

In a skillet, cook bacon until done. Remove from skillet, leaving drippings in pan. Add onion to fat. Cook and stir until onion is tender, drain grease. Combine bacon and onion in a bowl. In a greased 9x13 inch pan layer half the bread cubes, hash browns, and cheese. Top with the entire bacon mixture. Repeat with another layer of bread potatoes, and cheese. Beat eggs; Add milk, worcestershire, chives, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over bread. Let sit for at least 30 min.* Bake uncovered @ 325 for 65-70 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
*You can also prepare the night before and leave in the fridge overnight.

Suzy's Favorite Pancakes

Ha ha! I am posting the first recipe on here. These pancakes are Roger and my favorite - they melt in your mouth and are really easy to make.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.