Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls w/ Maple Icing

Pumpkin. MAPLE.
enough said.
these were damn good, and the dough can be made the night before.
these + scrambled eggs = heaven.
Christmas morning didn't know what hit it.

PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS
w/ Maple Icing
- 1/2 pack of instant Vanilla pudding
- 1/4 c milk
- 1 c pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 c butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 pckge Yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 warm water
- 4 c flour
Filling:
- 1/4 c butter, softened
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1-2 tbsp Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

Whisk together milk and pudding, then add the pumpkin, salt and nutmeg and next the melted butter and the beaten egg - set aside. Next, dissolve the yeast and tablespoon of sugar in the warm water, mix, and let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Combine the yeast and the pumpkin mixtures and then gradually add in the 4 cups of flour. Scoop dough onto a floured surface and knead for 9 minutes, then let sit, covered with plastic wrap in a greased bowl for around 2 hours. (at this point you can stop and let the doughball rise over night)
When doughball has doubled in size, punch it to expell the air, flip onto the counter, and roll it out into an 11 x 18 rectangle. Next, spread the softened butter over the whole thing, leaving a 1 inch margin on the right and the left. Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice (if using) over the butter, fold the right and left sides inward, and then, starting from the bottom, roll the whole thing up tightly into a log shape, being careful to seal the edges as best you can when finished.
With a serrated knife, bcut off the ends, and then cut the rolls off in 2 inch pieces (should make 7 rolls). Place these rolls in greased baking dishes with enough room to spread out, and brush each one with maple syrup before covering with plastic wrap and allowing to rise for 5 minutes before baking for upwards of 20 minutes.
When rolls are golden brown, and hard to the touch, remove from oven, and let cool for 2 minutes before icing.

MEANWHILE!!!!!!!!!

For the icing; Mix together
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
with
- 2 tbsp butter
and then add
- 1/4 c pure MAPLE syrup
- 1/4 tsp maple extract
and finally
- 2 c powdered sugar

When the rolls have cooled slightly, drizzle them with icing and serve warm. I reccomend serving the extra frosting on the side, in a bowl, for dipping. Yes...dipping.

MUFFINnnffum

Single serving muffins for solo missions.

BANANA-BERRY MUFFIN for ONE!
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp oatmeal
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 packets splenda
- 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
- handful of mixed berries
- 1/2 tsp canola oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
- handful chopped walnuts
- 1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the dry ingredients. In another bowl mash the banana with the milk and oil, add to the dry ingredients and then stir in the berries. Grease a small baking dish or a single cup on a muffin tray, scoop out the batter and sprinkle on top with the walnuts. Bake for about 15 minutes, and just before it's done, sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar and give it a brief blast under the broiler so it gets nice and crunchy on top, but be careful that the walnuts don't burn.

BANANA (bread)

I make the best banana bread in the world.
Proven fact.
Books have been written about supporting this.
Holy books.
Delicious holy books.
full of bananas

BANANA (bread)
- 5 whole overripe bananas
- 1 ripe banana, sliced
- 1 c white flour
- 3/4 c whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- toasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 350. Put 5 overripe bananas in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. There will be liquid in the bowl - pour liquid into a saucepan and strain bananas over saucepan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced to about a 1/4 c of liquid. Add liquid to bananas and mash until smooth, and then stir in your melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and then add in the wet mixture, stirring until well combined. Gently fold in walnuts (and any other add-ins) and pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Arrange the sliced banana in two strips down the center of the loaf, sprinkle the top with a tablespoon of sugar, and then bake for 40 - 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Run a knife around the edges and let cool for 15 minutes before removing from loaf pan and slicing.variations; add in raisins or chocolate chips, swap out walnuts for pecans, and also feel free to substitute sour cream or applesauce for half the butter, and even maple syrup for the sugar...go wild, make it yours.

* I also make a vegan version of this for two friends of mine who absolutely love it; simply use soy margarine instead of butter, omit the eggs entirely; there are enough bananas to act as a binder so the missing eggs don't make any difference. If the batter seems too dry, add a splash of almond or soy milk.

WHAT YOU KNEAD (Maple Swirl Bread) !

You know what's special about my Sundays?
Nothing.
No, that's what's special about it; the nothingness.
I try hard to do nothing on Sundays and that needs starting off with a good breakfast.
Alas, the problem is that cooking said breakfast disturbs the tranquil waters of Sunday nothingness, tilts the balance, strays the center, and sometimes we just need to relax...
But that's what's great about this breakfast; you can do all the work the night before and just pop it in the oven before sitting back with a cup of Sunday coffee.
This recipe is a modification of a one that I found online for Cinnamon Swirl Bread; I took it and made it mine. First off, while Cinnamon Swirl is good and all, my heart belongs to Maple, and what sounds better than MAPLE Swirl Bread?
Secondly, I swapped out the 1/2 c milk and 3/4 c water for 1 c of Buttermilk, and 1/4 water to give it a fuller taste and a little more body (I think). And thirdly, as I said, I wanted to make this all ahead of time and only have to pop it in the oven in the morning. The original recipe goes straight from the forming of the loaf to the rising and then the baking, but I rolled the loaf and let it sit in the fridge over night and it came out great. I let it sit out for 1/2 and hour before baking it and brushed the top with a little Maple Syrup, which gave the brown crust a nice sweet flavor.
The bread itself was good too; the fluffy Buttermilk dough is infused with the cinnamon and ground nutmeg, and the Maple Butter curls in moist swirls throughout it all, collecting in a gooey, Mapley center...
Yeah, it's good, and exactly what you knead to start of a slow day of...

MAPLE SWIRL BREAD
- 1 c Buttermilk
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp shaved nutmeg
- 1 pckt Active Dry Yeast
- 1/4 c warm water
- 1/2 jar Maple Butter*
- 2 c white flour (plus some for dusting)
- 1 c White Whole Wheat Flour

Melt butter and add to Buttermilk along with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and Maple Syrup. Dissolve the packet of yeast in the warm water, add to the Buttermilk mixture, and mix well. Stir in 2 1/2 c of the flours and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Add the last 1/2 c of flour, and knead it into the dough, continuing for around 5 minutes as the sticky dough becomes soft and satiny.
Put the dough into a greased bowl and flip it to coat the top, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 2 hours or so in a warm place.When it has doubled in size, punch the dough to expel the air, turn out onto a floured surface, and roll it into a rectangle. Warm the Maple Butter so that it becomes soft and spreadable, and spread it over the rectangle (You can add cinnamon, raisins or even Maple Sugar if you want to). Then, starting at one end, roll the dough tightly into a log form, and put it into a greased loaf pan, seam-side down. At this point you can either put it in the fridge to rise over night, or you can let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour and then bake it right away.In the morning, heat the oven to 350, then let the loaf sit out for a 1/2 hour to rise. Brush lightly with Maple Syrup, and cut three slits in the top before baking until the top is golden brown and the bread gives a hollow sound when tapped. Let it cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board and brushing the top lightly again with Maple Syrup. Enjoy it warm and buttered right away and even as toast or French Toast if there's any leftovers...* You should be able to buy Maple Butter in the store, it should be with the honeys. However, alternatively you can substitute by sing real butter and sprinkling Maple Sugar. If all of that fails, you can make this a Cinnamon Swirl Bread if you want, or ANY type of swirl bread for that matter...

Wake and Bake

Peanut Butter Bread, that is...

I woke up early to a Sunday as usual, and decided myself to partake in some baking. Banana Bread has been my go-to since I was a kid, but this PEANUT BUTTER BREAD!!!!!!! While Banana Bread has a special place in my heart, this stuff is a close number 2.
It answers my love for anything Peanut Butter and utilizes my assortment of Jams. Out with the old in with the new, I say. morning I took an adventure.
I got the recipe from CinnamonSpice and added only a few minor tweaks, like a spoonful of cinnamon applesauce in with the butter, and a sugar sprinkling on top for crunchitizing.
Peanut Butter Bread
- 1 c white flour
- 1 c whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- cinnamon
- 1/4 butter (room temp)
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1 tbsp applesauce
- 1 c crunchy peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 c milk

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. In a separate bowl, mix butter and sugar and then applesauce. Add the peanut butter and blend till smooth, then add in the vanilla and the egg. Next add the flour mixture to the PB mix and continue beating on low. It will be really chunky and dry-looking, so then add your cup of milk and blend until smooth.
Bake in a loaf pan for 50 minutes, keeping an eye not to overcook. Use a toothpick to tell if it's done, and let it cool for 15 minutes before flipping it onto a cooling rack. Serve with homemade Strawberry Jam (I also had my aunt's homemade Maine Blueberry Jam!) and a glass of milk or a good Coffee... you're going to need it!