Happy Wednesday! Did you know that it’s also National Baked Pumpkin Donut Day???
Juuuuuuuuust kidding ????!
I looked. It doesn’t exist. And it should, because these donuts are very deserving of their own national holiday! I mean… if there’s a “Stay Home Because You are Well Day” and a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” day (yeah, those are real), then Baked Pumpkin Donut Day should definitely be happening.
In fact, let’s just declare today is National Baked Pumpkin Donut Day. Technically, it’s King Tut Day (????). But… I’m pretty sure I’d rather celebrate donuts. You?
But I know a lot of you are pretty wary of frying stuff, and baking donuts seems to be generally more acceptable to everyone. So I’ve been working on trying more baked donut recipes that I can share with you guys. This Chocolate Baked Cake Donut, for starters, is insanely delicious. SO GOOD.
Today’s recipe marks another baked donut in the books, and you pumpkin crazies out there are going to love this one.
They are soft, soft, SOFT! And full of fragrant pumpkin spice. Also: super easy.
All you have to do is mix one cake mix (yellow or white) with one can of pumpkin puree and add a touch of pumpkin pie spice. Give ’em a dunk in cinnamon sugar, and you’re good to go!
These donuts are delicious when warm straight out of the oven (aren’t all donuts??), and they are best eaten on the day you bake them. This isn’t really a make-ahead kind of recipe, but they’re so easy to make so that’s not really a big deal.
Enjoy 🙂 And Happy National Baked Pumpkin Donut Day ????.
These easy pumpkin pretzel bites are an easy salty + sweet Fall snack that you won’t be able to stop munching on!
I’m pretty picky about my pumpkin consumption. Generally, my rule is that I stay away from pretty much anything pumpkin that is NOT baked. I think the “fresh” pumpkin flavor is just too overwhelming, and it desperately needs some butter, sugar, and flour to even it out a little bit.
My exceptions to the must-be-baked rule almost entirely include pumpkin treats that have been made with pumpkin FLAVOR (not real pumpkin). Like this pumpkin cream pie made with pumpkin pudding mix– that’s something I can get behind! Or this pumpkin fudge made with pumpkin spice morsels (like chocolate chips).
Or these pumpkin pretzel bites!
With a pretzel on the bottom, a Pumpkin Hershey Kiss, an M&M, and a drizzle of white or dark chocolate these poppable pumpkin bites are pretty irresistible.
I entirely surprised myself by loving those pumpkin Hershey Kisses. Like I said– I’m picky about pumpkin treats. And these just did not look or smell all that appealing. But in the name of research, I tried one. And then another. And then another. And then I was hooked.
Add to that a little salty crunch and an M&M and I never really stood a chance against these little guys.
Another obviously awesome thing about this recipe is that it is SO EASY. And pretty quick too.
You could skip the chocolate drizzle at the end, but I’m going to advise you not to for two reasons:
☝???? I’m sorry to say it, but these kind of look like boobs without the chocolate drizzle on top ????! And I swear, I don’t think it’s that my mind is in the gutter over here ????. You have to admit the pumpkin Kisses are pretty close to flesh colored. And the way they melt in the oven.. well, you’ll see!
And ✌???? Is there anything not made better by a chocolate drizzle? It adds the perfect texture and flavor. I really feel like it balances out the strength of the pumpkin flavor just right.
Here is a recipe for the perfect Fall weekend breakfast or brunch: Apple Cider Waffles with an amazing homemade Caramel Apple Cider Syrup.
Like clockwork, every time Fall rolls around I start craving apple cider. Starbucks caramel apple cider to be precise. Omg, is there anything in the world that tastes as good as that??
Maybe not. But the caramel apple cider syrup on this apple cider buttermilk waffles comes preeeeeettty close.
If you’re not already feeling as apple cider-y as I am, here are a few little tidbits about these waffles to get you in the mood:
A) There’s a WHOLE CUP of apple cider in the waffle batter. B) It’s not pumpkin. I know a lot of you are like, enough with the pumpkin already! and C) Imagine a caramel apple in liquid form, heavy on the caramel. That is this syrup. It is the kind of amazing your breakfast dreams are made of. If you had no other interest in these waffles, I can assure you that the syrup alone would make eating them worth your while.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did! And don’t feel bad if you find yourself licking the syrup off the plate… you’re in good company ????.
Soft and chewy cream cheese-filled snickerdoodles are exactly what you didn’t know you wanted.
Happy Monday everyone! It’s finally starting to (maybe?) cool down around here and feel just a little bit like Fall. Which means we should all head inside, don our fuzzy sweaters, and turn on the oven!
Because the arrival Fall necessitates cookies. Obvs.
And it just so happens that I have a fabulous Fall cookie to share with you today. Cream Cheese (think cheesecake) Filled Snickerdoodles ????.
The ingredients for these Snickerdoodles are fairly standard. I’m using my favorite snickerdoodle cookie dough as the base of course. These snickerdoodles turn out famously soft and dreamy every single time.
The sweet cream cheese filling in the center of these cookies is incredibly simple with only two ingredients: cream cheese and sugar. To get the cream cheese filling inside, all you’ll need to do is scoop about a teaspoon onto a flattened bit of dough. Place another flattened piece of dough on top and pinch the sides together to seal it up nice and tight. After that, roll it into a ball, and you’re ready to continue. Easy!
Yellow cake soaked in cheesecake pudding and salted caramel, topped with Cool Whip and a salted caramel swirl.
If you love caramel and you love cheesecake, then I can tell you right now– this recipe is for YOU.
I didn’t really think I could be surprised by a poke cake anymore, but I have to confess that this one was shockingly good. I don’t mean that I was shocked that it was good. Just that it was that good. Like, it’s on an entirely new level of good.
The yellow cake base is simple enough– I just used a cake mix. If you’d rather, you can always use this homemade and utterly delicious yellow cake recipe. That’s totally up to you.
As for me? Most of the time, I don’t mind a good cake mix cake. They’re soft, fluffy, and wonderfully dependable. ????????
Once the cake is baked (and while it’s still warm), poke holes in the cake and fill them with cheesecake pudding and salted caramel sauce. You can use a fork if you’d like, I see a lot of people do that. But I really prefer using the handle of a sturdy wooden mixing spoon. Bigger holes = more filling = more better.
Top the whole thing with whipped cream and more salted caramel sauce and let it chill for a few hours. Once everything has come together, you’ll have this incredibly indulgent cake filled with caramel and cheesecake flavors. And the light, fluffy, yet sinfully saturated-in-caramel texture is absolutely unbeatable!
This cake is so easy to make– it really just takes a few minutes of hands on time. And it’s so, so, SO good! This is a perfect Thanksgiving or Fall dessert, but it’s still a cool and creamy summer treat too.
So what are you waiting for?? I can’t wait for you to try it!
Pumpkin, Nutella, and marshmallow cream make this like no other pumpkin fudge you’ve had before!
Warning! You are about to enter high addictive pumpkin territory.
Let me start out by saying that this recipe is one of my all-time personal favorite pumpkin recipes. And you should know that I’m rather picky when it comes to pumpkin…
I like it. And I like it as early in the year as possible.
HOWEVER– I do not like weird pumpkin desserts. Tell me I’m not alone here, but there are just some things that pumpkin SHOULD NOT go in. Am I right?! For instance, it is my firm belief that pumpkin (as it REAL pumpkin) should not not go into anything not baked. I also have really strong feelings about pumpkin and oatmeal– that the combination should never happen ever.
So when I saw some no-bake pumpkin energy bites recently, and I barely held it together. Even now, I’m kind of gagging in my mind ????. But different strokes and all that, right?
Now that you know how picky I am about my pumpkin treats, you know that you can completely trust me as I gush over this amazingly fabulous pumpkin fudge.
Which contains no actual pumpkin, just to clarify– because, again, pumpkin should be baked. In my humble opinion ????.
The base of this fudge is actually a variation of my favorite 2-ingredient fudge, which is essentially 3 cups of chocolate melted together with 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk. It’s easy and simple, and it always turns out just right.
For this recipe, I’m using 3 cups (about 2 bags) of Nestle’s Pumpkin Spice Morsels. In the past, I’ve used Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses to make this same fudge, but it was so unnecessarily tedious to unwrap 3 cups worth of Hershey Kisses when I could just dump out a bag of morsels instead!
I find both the Hershey Kisses and the morsels at Target. Feel free to use either one you can get your hands on.
Once you’ve made the 2-ingredient fudge base and poured it into the prepared pan, you need to act quickly to get the Nutella and marshmallow cream swirled in before the fudge begins to set.
I went ahead and prepped two piping bags (you could even just use big zip top baggies) by filling them with the Nutella and cream. Once the fudge is poured, snip of the ends of the piping bags and squeeze little pockets of Nutella and marshmallow throughout the fudge. Swirl it all a little with a knife, and voila!
Hands down, the best pumpkin fudge you will ever eat. I promise!
Soft and chewy snickerdoodles with a buttery caramel surprise on the inside.
Happy Tuesday! Can you believe we are HALFWAY through October?? Halfway! Cooler weather is on the way, the leaves are just starting to turn, and I’m getting a million other cues that it’s time to hunker down in my kitchen for Fall baking.
But before we go there, I have to go here:
Meet my newest baby, Mackenzie.
Remember when I wrote this post all about how I don’t actually like dogs all that much? It’s still true. I am totally not a dog person. Or an animal person for that matter. Frankly, I have no idea what we were thinking adopting a dog out of the clear blue!
But it was like some crazy cosmic force drew us in, and even though we kept saying, “but we really didn’t ever want a dog….” we just couldn’t NOT take this sweet pup home with us. And even though all the annoying-dog stuff we were worried about really is as annoying as we thought it would be (omg, like I NEED more poop in my life!), the joy of having someone else in our home to love outweighs it somehow. We’ll just figure out how to deal with the poop and dog hair and stupid vet expenses and the 5 more weeks we’re all cooped up in an apartment together, because she’s ours and we love her!
It’s been less than 48 hours and I already can’t remember life without her.
It’s been the most bizarre twist of events in my life. Seriously.
Speaking of bizarre twists… how about this delicious surprise– caramel filled snickerdoodles!
I am so excited to share this recipe with you today. Not just because it’s an absolutely delicious, soft, buttery, cinnamon-y cookie that you will fall insanely in love with. But also because it comes from a cookbook written by one of my very favorite bloggers, Jamielyn Nye who blogs over at I Heart Naptime.
Jamielyn is one of the sweetest people I have come across in the blogging community. She has a beautiful blog, a creative mind, and such a big heart. I couldn’t be more thrilled for her to release her very first cookbook, aptly titled The I Heart Naptime Cookbook. I haven’t been able to put it down– between the beautiful photography and the recipes that are so very perfect for the busy home-cook, it’s a fabulous addition for any kitchen.
Just as she’s done on her blog for years, Jamielyn has filled this book to the brim with beauty, smarts, good taste (figuratively and literally), and extremely functional tips, tricks, crafts, and recipes. In fact, each recipe in the book can be made in under an hour! Woot!
Less time cooking = more eating. There’s a little basic Ashton Kitchen Math for ya.
Let me share one of these amazing recipes from her book with you. These caramel filled snickerdoodles caught my eye right away, and I knew this would be the perfect October recipe to make for you all! It’s like every warm and cozy flavor wrapped up into one amazingly soft and perfect cookie.
Sweet cinnamon sugar on the outside of a super soft cookie wrapped around buttery, melty caramel. Ah! I can’t even hardly look at these pictures without needing to jump up and make another batch!!
Will you just look at that caramel?? *swoon*
Tip: I used Werther’s Original soft caramels in a second batch of these (not pictured), and I actually liked that batch better. The caramel in the middle stayed softer after baking versus the standard cello-wrapped caramels pictured in this post. Right out of the oven, these were fine, but the caramel did harden after cooling.So look for Werther’s soft caramels in your grocery store!
Happy Fall Baking ya’ll! And be sure to get your hands on Jamielyn’s book. It will make a fantastic holiday gift!
You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don’t forget the butterscotch caramel!!
There are FOUR outrageously delicious flavors happening in this cake.
Can you guess them just by looking at the outside?? One of the flavors is a little tricky, but I bet you can do it.
You guys. This butterscotch caramel sauce is basically heaven on earth. I’ve been eating it on everything lately– apples, ice cream, straight outta the jar. It’s SO GOOD.
So don’t judge me too harshly for not whipping up a batch from scratch. I just figure, why fix what’s not broken, right? Plus…. it just makes things that much easier. Which is always A-Okay in my book.
Ok, so I am being 1000000000% for real when I promise you: this cake is SO EASY. Here’s the basic breakdown:
Both cakes are overly simple using just cake mix, pumpkin, and a little milk. You’ll need a yellow cake mix, a chocolate cake mix, and two cans of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling).
Next, you’ll make my favorite cream cheese frosting. It’s easy. You can do it.
Last, you’ll buy that amazing butterscotch caramel sauce. I found it at Target near the ice cream. You could also use my other favorite– Smuckers Caramel Delight Sundae Sauce (which I also usually buy at Target).
And voila! You’ll have one incredibly moist, flavorful, and beautiful cake perfect for ushering in pumpkin everything season Fall.
