Pumpkin Baking Fest

Unexpected day off from school today and I don’t feel like studying any more for my peds final than I had planned to so... time to catch up on blogging lol My friend Jenny had a bunch of pumpkins leftover from Halloween so we decided to do a pumpkin themed baking fest. Obviously I didn’t want to study for my final and baking is always the answer to procrastination haha  So we decided on pumpkin snickerdoodles and pumpkin cheesecake brownies...yumm

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles- recipe adapted from baked perfection

3 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (i just mixed together a 1:1 ratio of cinnamon and nutmeg)
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1.5 cups sugar
1 egg
¾ cup pumpkin puree (can either be fresh or canned pumpkin)

¼ cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

-combine dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice) in a bowl and set aside
-cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
-add egg and pumpkin puree; mix until combined
-add dry ingredients in portions, mixing well after each addition
-chill dough for at least an hour before using it

-mix together remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl
-roll dough into one inch ball and coat with cinnamon sugar mixture
-space them about 2 inches apart on baking sheet
-bake at 350 for 12-15 min
-cool for 5 min before removing from baking sheet

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies- recipe adapted from cookie madness

For the pumpkin cheesecake filling:
12 oz cream cheese, softened
6 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp flour

For the brownie:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
¼ tsp salt
1.5 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 cup flour

-make the filling first
-cream together cream cheese and both sugars
-add eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree
-stir in flour and set aside

-melt chocolate chips, set aside to cool
-cream together butter, salt, and sugar until light and fluffy
-add eggs and vanilla
-stir in melted chocolate
-add flour

-pour ¾ of the brownie batter into a greased 9 inch square pan
-pour pumpkin mixture evenly over the brownie batter
-drop leftover brownie batter in spoonfuls over the pumpkin layer
-swirl with a knife if desired
-bake at 350 for 45-50 min or until a toothpick comes out clean
-cool for a couple hours at room temp and then chill overnight

Red Velvet NOT Cupcakes

In addition to white chocolate, my boys are IN LOVE with red velvet. I... don’t understand what the obsession is all about but I’m happy to oblige haha So cupcakes with frosting aren’t exactly the ideal dessert of choice when making the 6 hour drive down to LA... I don’t want to be worrying about the state of my cupcakes the entire ride because well... then I’m not concentrating on the road haha I decided to make these red velvet cheesecake bars instead... sorta like a compressed cupcake. They’re easy to make, easy to transport, and taste just as good :)

For the cake:
-1 box Betty Crockers Devil’s Food cake mix
-1/2 cup butter, softened
-1 egg
-2 tbsp red food coloring

For the cream cheese layer
-16 oz (2 boxes) cream cheese
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together the cake mix, butter, egg, and food coloring
Spread the mixture into a 9x13 greased glass pan... set aside

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth
Add eggs and vanilla
Spread the mixture on top of the cake

Bake at 350 for 40-45 min until edges pull away from the pan
Cool COMPLETELY before attempting to cut it

*you can store these in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks so its okay that the recipe makes such a huge amount haha