Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

make the filling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour two 6-cup large muffin tins. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, stir the softened cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the sugar and cinnamon and mix until combined well. Then add the egg and mix until combined well.

make the streusel

In a small bowl, mix sugar, flour, pecans and cinnamon. Then drizzle on the melted butter. Toss together until it is evenly mixed and set aside.

make the batter

In a large, shallow bowl. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, all spice, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer beat the eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the pumpkin mixture into the well. Mix the ingredients together using a fork, just until combined.

build the muffins

Using a tablespoon, place two tablespoons of the batter in each muffin cup. Then place one tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in each muffin cup on top of the batter. Then top with two tablespoons of the batter. Top each muffin cup with the streusel, covering most of the batter. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the muffins and comes out clean. Then cool on wire racks.

PUMPKIN BARS WITH MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

make the pumpkin bars

Lightly grease a 10-inch x 15-inch jelly roll pan. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs and pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Pour batter in jelly roll pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place pan on a cooling rack and cool bars completely.

make the maple cream cheese frosting

In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the cream cheese and butter. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Mix in maple syrup. Refrigerate frosting for at least 30 minutes. This step is important. From experience, if you don’t refrigerate the frosting, it’ll slide right off the bars. After frosting is chilled, ice the bars. Sprinkle pecans on top of the frosted bars.

Caramel Apple Nut Rolls

*may replace with olive oil

make the rolls

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a saucepan over medium to high heat. Heat until just before boiling. Remove from heat. Transfer to a new bowl to bring the temperature down quicker and let cool for 1 hour until the mixture is just warm. Add the active dry yeast and let it sit for a few minutes. In increments, mix in 8 cups of flour. Cover and let the dough rise for 1 hour.

Mix 1 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to risen dough. If desired, cover dough and refrigerate until you are ready to make the rolls. The dough will last for up to one week.

Butter two 9-inch pans. You can also use 5-inch wide, 2-inch deep, heat safe ramekins for single servings. Or you can use a combination of pans and ramekins. Cover the bottom of the pan with pecans. Then top the pecans with the apple pieces. Combine 1/4 cup of melted butter with two teaspoons of cinnamon. Brush the mixture evenly on the apples in each pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Divide the dough in two and form rectangles. On a large, floured surface, begin to roll out half the dough in a long rectangle. Dough should be rolled out about 1/4 inch thick. Then, leaving about 1/2 inch on the edge, spread half of the apple butter on the dough. Using a brush, add half the butter. Then sprinkle the dough with half the brown sugar and one tablespoon of cinnamon.

Then begin to roll the dough in a long cylinder shape. Roll tightly, tucking the dough as you go. Once the dough is rolled, cut it in rolls about 1-inch thick. If using ramekins, cut the rolls slightly thicker to account for the deeper dish. Place the rolls in the pans on top of the apples, leaving room for the rolls to expand. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 30 minutes. Bake the rolls for 19-22 minutes until they are golden. Remove them from the oven and within 5 minutes, turn the rolls over onto a plate so the pecans and apples are on top.

make the caramel icing

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the cream and brown sugar and bring to a boil for one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in half of the powdered sugar. Let it cool slightly, then add the remaining powdered sugar. Whisk vigorously until the powdered sugar is well combined. If you prefer it a little thinner, mix in 1 tablespoon of cream. Then drizzle the icing over the rolls.

German Chocolate Cake

make the cake layers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter pans and dust with cocoa powder (instead of flour which leaves white splotches on the chocolate layers), shaking off the excess.

In a double boiler, melt dark chocolate. Remove from heat and cool. Quicken this step by cooling chocolate in the refrigerator.

In a medium bowl, sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together coffee and buttermilk.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping sides of bowl down after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the coffee/buttermilk mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a spatula, fold in the melted chocolate.

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans. Batter should fill pans about half to two-thirds of the way full. Smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer cakes to a wire cooling rack for 20-30 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack and remove pans and parchment to let cool completely.

make the filling

In a large saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla until well blended. Add sugars and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 12 minutes, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat. Mix in coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature.

assemble the cake

Trim tops of cakes to level out surface, if necessary. Place first cake layer on platter or cake stand. Spread one third of filling on top. Add second layer and spread another third of filling on top. Follow with final layer and top with remaining filling.

Rhubarb Oat Muffins

make the muffins

Line two muffin pans with muffin liners, and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix together by hand brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla and buttermilk. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, gently incorporating just enough until ingredients are combined together. Be careful not to over-mix. Then, add in rhubarb and the pecans.

make the streusel topping

In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. The topping should be slightly wet and form a coarse, slightly sticky meal. Adjust butter amount if needed.

finish the muffins

Pour the batter in lined muffin pans, filling each cup about 3/4ths full. Sprinkle the topping over each filled muffin pan. Place muffins in oven and immediately drop oven temperature to 400 degrees F (dropping the temperature like this will help with their rise since oat flour tends not to rise as well) . Bake at 400 degrees F for 11-13 min., or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once muffins have cooled slightly, remove them from the muffin tin and place them on a cooling rack.

Cherry-Berry Pecan Granola Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan. Then line it with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper.

Combine the oats, pecans and coconut and spread evenly on a cookie sheet. Toast (mix once during toasting) until lightly browned, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix-in the wheat germ, cardamom and cinnamon.

Reduce heat in the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Upon boiling, cook for one minute. Pour the heated mixture over the oat mixture. Add the cherries, blueberries and cocoa nibs. Mix until the dry ingredients are well coated.

Pour the mixture into the pan and spread evenly in the pan. Use the back of a wooden spoon or wet your fingers and press the mixture firmly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until lightly browned. Don’t overcook or the bars will be too hard. Cool for 2 to 3 hours. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

Toast pecans in oven at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Or, if lazy (like me) or always in a hurry (like me), take the easy route and toast them in the toaster oven for 2-3 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, beating until well blended. Mix in pecans with a wooden spoon.

Divide dough in half; form each half into ball. Wrap separately in plastic; chill until cold, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Working with half of chilled dough, roll dough with palms into 1-inch balls. Arrange balls on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until light golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 16-18 minutes. Check cookies throughout baking to be sure not to over bake. If baked too long, bottoms will burn and cookies will be very dry.

Pour 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar in pie dish. Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheet. Gently toss warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to rack and cool completely. Roll cookies in powdered sugar again once cooled. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough, or reserve remaining powdered sugar and freeze dough for later use. Cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. For extra powdered sugar on your cookies, save leftover powdered sugar and sift over cookies just before serving.

pecan squares

make the crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the butter and sugar in a medium size bowl with an electric mixer (using a paddle attachment if you have it), until the mixture is light, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix on low until it is combined.

In a standard, ungreased baking sheet (18×12x1-inch),* using your floured hands, evenly distribute the dough on the sheet, pressing the dough on the bottom and sides. Bake for 15 minutes, just until the crust is set. Don’t overcook. Let it cool. Brush with a little additional cream and sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp sugar.

make the filling

While the crust is baking, mix the butter, honey, brown sugar and zests in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat and stir until the butter is melted. Bring mixture to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans and heavy cream.

Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. The mixture will fill the pan to the rim so use caution when placing in the oven. In an effort to keep your oven clean, place a couple of pans on the lowest rack to catch any of the excess topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is set. Let the bars cool in the pan and then wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

*If you use a non-stick baking sheet, you might want to line with parchment paper prior to filling with the crust. This will help protect your pan from scratching when you cut the bars.