Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies w/ Pecans

I was itching to make something this evening and remembered I had another can of pumpkin left in my pantry. What better time of year to use it? I wanted something fairly simple, without a lot of techniques/ingredients involved. I decided to make this recipe. This took less than a 1/2 hour to prepare and then another 25-30 to bake. I mostly wanted to bake because I'm in love with my new kitchen! I promise to post pics, but I want to wait until the painting etc. is complete.

I decided to make a double batch, some for dh and his coworkers, and some for mine. I didn't use the brand's specified, and I modified the recipe a bit (my changes in orange). They came out just as I expected, delicious!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies w/ Pecans

(adapted from Nestle's Very Best Baking)

Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1/3 cup brown sugar blend (such as SPLENDA) (I just used light brown sugar)
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons vegetable oil ( for my dbl batch I used 2 Tbs. oil and 2 Tbs. unsalted butter melted and cooled)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels ( I used Ghiradelli and added 1/2 cup pecan pieces)

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

Spray 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

COMBINE pumpkin, sugar blend, egg, egg whites and oil in large mixer bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended.

Add flour, baking powder, cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, salt and nutmeg. Beat on low speed until batter is smooth. Stir in morsels. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares.

(I sprinkled with powdered sugar for a little extra sweetness. )

*Note* I used a 9X13 for my doubled recipe

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

While I was flipping through my latest issue of Gourmet, I came across this little gem of a recipe. I had all the ingredients except the pumpkin. No problem since I needed to go to the grocery store anyway. I didn't have the ground cloves it called for so I omitted them, I really wish I would have made a darn list when I went to the store, ugh!

My house smelled wonderful while it baked for the 55 mnutes, omg I was salivating! I ended up using pure pumpkin in a can, and probably a little more than the 9 oz. it called for.

I also decided a drizzle of glaze would be nice so I whipped some up.

This bread would be perfect for breakfast, after dinner or even for a snack. Of course, this recipe screams fall, which it will soon be getting to feel like here in Atl.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

(Gourmet October, 2008)

2 cups AP flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. all spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I probably added 2 tsp. I love the stuff!)

1/4 tsp. ground cloves ( I omitted due to not having a list!)

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (I used the pure canned pumpkin)

1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350

coat a 9x5 loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and salt until thouroughly blended. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and water. Add the sugar and blend well. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla and blend well.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the walnuts and stir until they are evenly distributed. Use a spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and level the top.

bake for 55-60 minutes, until the bread is firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.

**Note** I acidentally added ground coriander (1 tsp) by mistake. It still tasted wonderful, maybe even better!

Pumpkin Cake Doughnut Holes with Two Toppings

Today was a good day. Our house has been in desperate need of a good scrub down. So Chad and I got up pretty early (well, early for a Saturday) and cleaned until our hands were wrinkly and our foreheads were beaded with sweat.

After showering and relaxing on the couch, I remembered a candle I bought on clearance last January. It's a large orange tinged candle with the scent of pumpkin spice. Perfect for the beautiful autumn day we were having. While the candle burned for a while the entire house smelled like pumpkin pie. This is the sole reason for my baking experience this evening.

I browsed through some online recipes for pumpkin desserts, but nothing was getting my attention. So then I started to browse some of my favorite blogs. Usually when I am in the mood for baking I will check Peabody's blog. As I have said before, she is brilliant when it comes to baking and desserts.

I came across her recipe for plain cake doughnuts. Not pumpkin, I know, but plain doughnuts are a favorite of mine. I read the ingredients and decided that I could probably incorporate pumpkin into the batter. I wouldn't usually challenge a baking/dessert recipe, but I was willing to take the risk. I thought to myself, the least that could happened is they don't turn out. Given the fact that I wasn't changing much I was confident they were going to be fine. And they were more than fine. They were incredible!

Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 quart oil for frying optional - powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar mixture

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees F.Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix in butter until crumbly. Mix in pumpkin then stir in milk and egg. With floured hands, lightly knead the smooth dough. Turn onto area prepared with flour. Pat dough into 1/4 inch thickness. Dip either doughnut cutter or two biscuit cutters (one 1-inch and one 3 or 4-inch) in flour. Use to cut-out doughnuts. Carefully drop doughnuts into hot oil, only a few at a time. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on prepared paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar mixture.

I also made a glaze of powder sugar, butter, a bit of vanilla and some milk. Here are my approximate amounts.

• 1 1/2 cup powder sugar
• 1 tbs. unsalted butter softened
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbs. milk
• Mix all ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over holes and let sit 10 minutes.

Note: The dough is very sticky. Don't let that discourage you. And if they aren't perfectly round it doesn't matter, it's the flavor that's important!