Pumpkin Caramel Monkey Bread Muffins

I just figured out what you should make for breakfast on Thanksgiving.  These little muffins were so good!  Before I moved to Iowa I had never heard of Monkey Bread before.  Now, I see it all over the place.  I saw a similar recipe to this from Pillsbury, and this is what I turned it into.  Monkey Bread Muffins, covered in a Pumpkin Caramel Sauce. 

I made these yesterday for my 6 year old, and he couldn’t stop saying how good they were.  At first he wasn’t excited.  He said he liked Cinnamon Roll Pancakes so much, why did I have to try something new?  Then he tried them…..”Mommy, you are such a good cooker!  How do you make so many things I love?  Now I won’t be able to decide what I want?”

These come together quickly, so you can get that Turkey cooking.  Why not wake up to wonderful pumpkin flavor, and have it all through the day!  I used 1 tube of biscuits, and it made 8 giant muffins.  You could easily double this recipe if you were feeding a crowd.  

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the time with the ones that you love!!  See you again on Friday.  

Pumpkin Caramel Monkey Bread Muffins

Adapted from Pillsbury

Printable Recipe

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp all spice

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 tub Pillsbury Grand Flaky Biscuits

2/3 cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray, or use liners.

Open tube of biscuits, and separate.  Using a kitchen scissors cut each biscuit into quarters.  In a zip lock bag mix together sugar and spices.  Add 6 pieces of biscuit at a time into the sugar and shake to coat.  Remove and place 4 pieces (3 if you want normal sized muffins), into each muffin tin. 

In a sauce pan melt butter, brown sugar and pumpkin together.  Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, while stirring.  Reserve about ½ cup of the caramel sauce for later.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the muffins. 

Bake for 15 minutes for large muffins (probably closer to 12 minutes for smaller muffins).  Let cool for a couple minutes before removing from the pan.  Drizzle with the reserved caramel sauce.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

My kitchen is unpacked!!  I have been spoiled with a large kitchen for the last 5 years.  The kitchen in our rental is a very nice kitchen, but it is much smaller than my old one.  I was only able to unpack about 1/2 of my stuff (I have way too much stuff).  It is really nice that we have an unfinished basement to store everything in.  I attempted baking for the first time at high altitude this weekend.  The results weren't perfect, but they were not nearly as bad as I feared.  Stay tuned for some yummy recipes once I get the hang of it!

Thank you to Kita (Pass the Sushi), Liz (That Skinny Chick Can Bake), and Kelly (Eat Yourself Skinny) for filling in for me last week.  You all did a wonderful job, and I appreciate your help!




These bars are one of the last things I made in my old kitchen.  My husband and I were both going to meet friends for lunch, and I had a few things to use in my pantry so I made these bars.  Unfortunately my husband forgot his plate of treats on the counter.  Rami, this is what you missed out on!  Shannon on the other hand received her plate of goodies!  I received an email from her later that night asking if I posted this recipe yet, because they were TO DIE FOR!!!  Well here it is!  This would make a great alternative to Pumpkin Pie this week!


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
From Bake at 350
Printable Recipe

2 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp Cloves
1 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp  Salt
1 cup Butter, softened
1 1/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg
2 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 bag Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 13x9 pan.

Mix together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. (You could use 2 tsp pumpkin pie instead of all the spices if you had it).

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the egg & vanilla. Beat in the pumpkin puree.  (It will look chunky and gross, but don't worry, that is what it is supposed to look like).

Add the in the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into your pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes.   A toothpick will come out mostly clean.  Cool completely in pan before cutting.

Pumpkin Pie Cups with Eat Yourself Skinny

The movers finally delivered our stuff!!  I spent the ENTIRE day unpacking, and it really doesn't look like I did very much.  We did manage to clear out the garage so we can park both cars in there, that is huge!  My Kitchen Aid is unpacked and all set up :)  Everything else is still a complete mess.  I think it will take at least a week to get everything set up. 

Since I have yet to cook much in the last week, today I bring you Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny.  Kelly has a great site offering tasty healthy recipes.  Plus gorgeous pictures! Make sure you go visit her and tell her I said Hi!

Hello there lovely readers of Dinners, Dishes and Desserts!  I’m Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny and I’m super excited to be guest posting today!  I absolutely adore Erin {as I’m sure you all do as well!} so when she asked me to share a recipe on her blog while she was moving this week, I was completely thrilled!

There is just something about Fall that makes me LOVE this season more than any other.  Maybe it’s the cute scarves and boots we get to get all bundled up in or the pretty foliage that starts to poke its way out once the summer heat has faded away, but either way my favorite part about Fall would have to be the abundance of pumpkin recipes!  Whether I’m starting my morning off with a pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks or enjoying a delicious pumpkin muffin for breakfast, this Fall favorite can add flare to any old recipe.  So of course I just had to do something fun and festive for Erin!

I chose to make delicious Pumpkin Pie Cups which are perfect healthy alternatives to your typical slice of indulgent pumpkin pie.  Best part is you can have one whole bowl for only 172 calories and ZERO grams of fat!

Yes I said zero.

Doesn’t get much better than that and I promise you they taste delicious.  I loved the slight crunch the cornflakes added to this dish and the combination of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg was amazing!  Make these for guests at your next dinner party or throw this together when you want to indulge in something sweet without having the unnecessary calories.  It’s so quick and easy! 

Note to self however, when taking pictures…make sure to strategically place the spoons so you can’t see yourself AND your camera in them.  FAIL.  Oh well!  Hope you enjoy these treats as much as I did!

Pumpkin Pie Cups

______________________________

Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 dish 

Calories: 172

Fat: 0 g

Carbs: 37 g 

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 6 g

Old Points: 3.2 pts

Points+: 4 pts

______________________________

Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home cookbook

1/4 cup coarsely crushed cornflakes

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar, divided

1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

1/4 tsp. + 1/8 tsp. ground ginger, divided

3/4 cup fat-free milk

3/4 cup solid-pack pumpkin

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/3 cup cholesterol-free egg substitute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  For topping, combine cornflakes, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/8 tsp. ginger in a small bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

For filling, heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat.  Do not boil.  Combine pumpkin, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch, remaining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger and nutmeg in large bowl.

Stir hot milk into pumpkin mixture.  Add egg substitute and whisk until smooth.  Pour into four 6 oz. oven proof custard cups or ramekins.  Sprinkle evenly with topping.  Place cups in a baking pan and carefully add hot water to about 3/4-inch depth. 

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Enjoy!

Thanks again for inviting me to guest post Erin!  If you’d like to see more skinny recipes or just want to stop over and say hi, check out my blog any time!

XOXO

Pumpkin and Sausage Baked Pasta

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween yesterday.  After the sugar coma I think everyone is in today, I am making you a healthy pasta dish.  It has pumpkin, which when made without all the sugar of a baked good, is really healthy for you.  I found this pasta recipe over at I was Born to Cook.  I have never had pumpkin with pasta before.  I have seen it before, but never been brave enough to try it  (I am a picky eater).  With my husband (non pumpkin lover) in Colorado and me here with my pumpkin loving 6 year old, I thought it was the perfect time to try it.  It was so good!  I will be making this again for my husband.  It doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all to me.  It just tastes like this rich and creamy pasta dish.  I really think that with all the sausage and sage in there, if I didn’t tell him it had pumpkin, he would never know.  My 6 year old ate it, but didn’t love it.  Now to be fair, he isn’t really a fan of noodles.  He did eat everything I gave him (I may have bribed him with these for dessert).  

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween.  My 6 year old was Perry the Platypus from Phineus and Ferb.  He was quite the hit with the teenagers who were answering the doors.

Pumpkin and Sausage Baked Pasta
Slightly adapted from I was Born to Cook

Printable Recipe

1 lb Italian Turkey sausage
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon dried sage
Salt
1/3 cup heavy cream (half and half or 2 % milk will work too)

1 box penne pasta, cooked
½ cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large pan brown sausage, until cooked through.  Remove from pan and drain over paper towel.  Set aside.

Using any oil (up to 2 Tbls) from the sausage, sauté onion, garlic and crushed red pepper until soft.  Stir in pumpkin, chicken stock and sage.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.

Stir in heavy cream and sausage.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce comes together and thickens slightly.  Remove from heat, and add pasta.  Toss everything together. 

Place mixture in a casserole dish sprayed with non stick spray.  Top with Parmesan Cheese.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Spiced Buttercream

Things are about to go Halloween around here next week.  I have something special planned for you tomorrow, and then next week prepare for Orange, and Spiders, and all things Gross!  In the meantime though I have these amazing Cupcakes I want to share with you.  They are pumpkin, so they are the perfect prelude to Halloween! 

I made these for a Teacher’s Appreciation Lunch at my son’s school.  There were a few teachers around when I brought them in, and these little treats  were oohed  and awed over like crazy.  I am not sure they even made it until lunch time!  If you follow me on facebook, you may remember me not being able to find powdered sugar.  This is why I needed it!  Seriously!  It took 3 stores to find powdered sugar.  But it was well worth all the trips, because this frosting was amazing!! 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Spiced Buttercream

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

PrintableRecipe

Cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola

4 eggs

Buttercream Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

2½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cupcake pans, makes approximately 30 cupcakes. 

To make the cupcakes

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt together. Set aside.  In the bowl for an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  With the mixer on low, add the flour in slowly, until just combined. 

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3^rd of the way full.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

To make the frosting

Using an electric mixer cream together cream cheese and butter, until smooth.  Mix in vanilla.  Gradually stir in the powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Beat on medium until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes.

Pumpkin Spice Hot Apple Cider

 I wish I liked coffee.  I can’t even count the number of coffee drink recipes out there that I am tempted by.  But I just can’t get over the coffee flavor.  Years ago a coworker was determined to get me to like coffee.  He would come in with the fanciest drink you could think of – chocolate, caramel, whipped cream and whatever else they could put in there.    But it still tasted like coffee to me.  I love the smell of it, I just can’t get past the taste.  So last week when Steph over at Steph’s Bite by Bite posted a Pumpkin Spice Latte I was again faced with the temptation.  But this time I took matters into my own hands.  In walks Apple Cider! 

I used her pumpkin spice recipe, and then made a Pumpkin Spiced Hot Apple Cider.  Complete with the whipped cream and drizzle that you fancy coffee drinkers get!  This was even better than I hoped it would be.  I knew pumpkin and apple would go well together, but I just wasn’t sure how this drink would taste.  It was perfect for the cold and rainy day I made it on.  I have some pumpkin spice syrup left in my fridge right now, just wait to see what I thinking of turning that into!  

Pumpkin Spice

From Steph’s Bite by Bite

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine everything in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You want the mixture to become thick and syrupy. 

Store in fridge until ready to use.

To make Apple Cider:

In a large mug heat 3 Tbls of pumpkin spice syrup.  Mix in hot apple cider.  Top with whipped cream, and drizzle with additional syrup.  Enjoy! 

Make sure you click on the link if you want to make this into a Latte.    

Pumpkin Madeline Cake Balls

First let me start by saying I love you guys!  All the well wishes for my sick little boy mean so much.  Well he is on the mend!  This new antibiotic seemed to do the trick.  After 24 hours he was like a new kid.  Now I just think this full day has him tired.  But I will take tired and crabby over sick and not moving any day! 

Now to these delicious treats!  I have never tried a Madeline before.  I know, sometimes it is like I live under a rock. I blame my Dad!  If it wasn't chocolate, we didn't have it.  And growing up in the midwest Madelines weren't the norm.  So when the lovely people at Donsuemor contacted me to design a dessert for them, I was thrilled.  Thanks to Lizzy over at That Skinny Chick Can Bake for recommending me for the job!  A few days later, my lovely box of Madelines and French Almond Cakes arrived. I immediately set to work.  First I had to taste them, since they were new to me.  They were soft, tender, and delicious. 

School is back in session, so that means is it fall right?  Don't pay attention to the fact that it was 95 degrees in Iowa today.  I am in the mood for some fall cooking, and pumpkin is the first thing that comes to mind.  So I turned these delicious Madelines into Pumpkin Cake Balls!  They were so good!  I used the French Almond Cakes too, so there was some crunch from the almonds....so good! 

Pumpkin Madeline Cake Balls
Printable Recipe

6 Traditional Madelines
6 French Almond Cakes
1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 oz butter, softened
1 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 pound white chocolate

Start by making a Cream Cheese frosting.  Blend together butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until nice and creamy. 

Using your hands crumble the cakes into a bowl. Add the pumpkin, frosting, and all of the seasonings.  Stir until well blended. 

From into 1 inch balls.  Place on a lined cookie sheet, and refrigerate until hardened, approx 30 minutes. 

Melt the white chocolate in a large bowl.  One at a time dip the cake balls into the chocolate.  Put sprinkles on when the chocolate is wet, if desired.  Place on a lined tray, and refrigerate until hard.  Store in the fridge. 

Enjoy!