fall

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

Baked Pumpkin Nutella Donuts Recipe

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

My daughter knows no seasonal boundaries when it comes to her love of pumpkin.

Regardless of the time of year, when we let her choose the dessert for family night– it’s always pumpkin pie. Always. Which is so funny to me, because she is an incredibly picky eater especially in regards to texture. And it took me until adulthood (and years of acquiring more adventurous palate)  to appreciate a good pumpkin pie, because I always felt like it was kind of slimy.

It is, after all, a cold pie made of squash. I feel like kids have a right to be a little leery when it comes to pumpkin pie. But not my girl!

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

As much as I love a good pumpkin pie (now), I just feel like there is so much more fun to be had when it comes to pumpkin season.

Pumpkin Monkey Bread. Enough said.

Pumpkin Cornnread with Maple Cinnamon Butter. ohemgee.

Pumpkin S’mores Cupcakes. Just yes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Swoon.

Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bars. Need I continue??

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

I’d have to say, at the top of my pumpkin favorite recipes list is most definitely this one for pumpkin donuts with Nutella on top.

Pumpkin + Nutella is the kind of flavor combination that dreams are made of. Initially, I thought I might make some sort of Nutella “glaze” or Nutella “frosting.” But then I realized… why mess with perfection? So I warmed up a bowl of straight-up Nutella and dunked my cinnamon sugar coated pumpkin donuts right in.

And I didn’t regret it. No siree.

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

If you’re ready to begin your fall baking (and really, who’s not??), may I suggest that you start right here. Dig out that pumpkin, ya’ll! It’s Fall!

Almost ????.

Buttery brown sugar and cinnamon swirled into fluffy pumpkin pancakes, topped with a dreamy cream cheese cinnamon roll frosting. Perfect for a yummy Fall breakfast!

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Pumpkin pancakes with a cinnamon swirl that melts in your mouth. Good morning!!

Buttery brown sugar and cinnamon swirled into fluffy pumpkin pancakes. Perfect for a yummy Fall breakfast!

I have a serious love-hate relationship with cinnamon roll pancakes.

They were suuuuuuuuper popular about a year ago. And it’s no wonder why– the pictures were absolutely drool-worthy. And the concept: totally genius. I mean, who doesn’t want cinnamon roll filling swirled in their pancakes smothered in cinnamon roll frosting? Everyone does.

But have you ever tried to make them?

Ohmygosh. I tried about a bazillion times last year before I just finally gave up. Every time I tried, my cinnamon swirl leaked out of the pancake all over the place, filling my kitchen with the semi-permanent smell of burning sugar. And, uh, burning sugar is HOT. So there were definitely more than a few finger blisters involved. It was messy, smelly, and painful. It’s idiotic that I tried to make them as many times as I did.

But those pictures!!!! I mean… they just look so perfect! So why weren’t mine turning out like I thought they should?

Buttery brown sugar and cinnamon swirled into fluffy pumpkin pancakes, topped with a dreamy cream cheese cinnamon roll frosting. Perfect for a yummy Fall breakfast!

This idea for cinnamon roll pumpkin pancakes has been nagging at me for a few weeks, and I kept pushing it away– not wanting to look a-fool in my kitchen again (not to mention wanting to spare my hands the burns!). But, in the end, this recipe was just too tempting not to try.

So I gave it some careful thought and drew up a game plan for making painless, mostly mess-free cinnamon roll (pumpkin) pancakes. And it worked!

Although, in full disclosure: one of the improvements I made to this recipe was simply to lower my expectations. I just realized that no matter how hard I tried, some of the cinnamon swirl was going to leak out of the pancakes. Once I came to terms with that, the rest was a breeze!

Be sure to read these tips before heading to the kitchen!

I added cornstarch to my cinnamon swirl mixture. It helped hold “things” together a bit and keep it from leaking out of the pancakes any more than it did.

Be SURE to insert the tip of your piping bag or bottle into the pancake batter a bit when piping on the cinnamon swirl. DO NOT simply pipe the swirl on top. It needs to be in the batter a little bit.

Pipe the swirl IMMEDIATELY after scooping the batter onto the griddle (just to ensure that you can pipe into the batter and not on top).

Let the pancake cook really, really well on the first side. You don’t risk drying out the pancake, thanks to the pumpkin (which keeps things extra moist). And by allowing the majority of the pancake to be cooked before flipping, you won’t lose quite as much cinnamon swirl on the “flip side.”

The edges of the pancakes should be dry, and the top of the pancake should look a little dry as well with bubbles that don’t pop and fill in.

Clean the griddle with a paper towel in between batches. It’s not as much work as it sounds if you do it in between each one. Getting the extra sugar off the griddle will prevent burning, and it will make things A LOT easier to clean in the end.

If you have an electric griddle, USE IT. Electric griddles are awesome for cooking evenly and preventing burned food. I’m not so sure how these would have gone over on the stove-top to be honest.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread Recipe

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Have you ever made pull apart bread before? And I’m not talking about monkey bread. I mean flattened flaky layers of cinnamon rolls layered with decadent fillings and iced on top. I’ve seen several different variations across Pinterest and the internet. Some are filled with chocolate. Others with cinnamon. I saw several with different kinds of pie fillings ????.

This was my first time making a pull apart loaf, and, since I’ve been feeling the urge to do some Fall baking, I decided to make this an apple pie pull apart loaf ????.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

The mechanics of this pull apart loaf could not be easier.

All you’ll need to do is grab three easy ingredients (2 cans of cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and a little extra cinnamon) and preheat the oven for 350F.

Flatten the cinnamon rolls with your hands, and simply alternate each cinnamon roll with a small spoonful of apple pie filling.

And OMG! The way your kitchen will smell while this is baking!! If you aren’t already in the mood for Fall, I can guarantee that the smell of this loaf wafting through your home will do the trick.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Now, if you wanted to, you could leave out that extra bit of cinnamon and make this a two-ingredient easy-peasy recipe.

But if you’re like me and can’t resist a little extra cinnamon, mix it into the frosting that comes with the cinnamon rolls before you spread it over the warm bread. Ah-mazing. It’s like cinnamon rolls and apple pies and a donut had a baby. It’s basically the best thing ever.

I think I’m finally ready to trade in my summer shades and s’mores if this is what Fall has to offer ????.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Apple Pie Bread Pudding Recipe

Cozy, warm, delicious bread pudding piled high with a homemade apple pie filling and buttery streusel on top.

This post is sponsored by King’s Hawaiian.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Now THIS is the ultimate bread pudding! Made with sweet melt-in-your-mouth , brown sugar, FOUR eggs for a custard-like texture, homemade cinnamon-spiced apple pie filling, and a buttery cinnamon streusel to top it all off.

It makes a large 9×13 dish FULL of apple pie and ooey-gooey bread goodness.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Remember how we talked about the magic that happens when you bake King’s Hawaiian bread? All that real butter goodness inside makes them become ridiculously soft and pillow-like. These Sticky Buns made with Sweet Rolls are unreal. They literally melt in your mouth.

Same thing with this bread pudding. The layer of egg-y, custard-y bread at the bottom is so sweet and soft, it really feels like it just melts in your mouth.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

You’ll start by cubing the bread. I used the big loaf of , but you could also cut up King’s Hawaiian rolls or buns if you have those on hand. Make the custard and pour it over the bread, and just let the bread soak it all up while you move on to making the pie filling and streusel topping.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

The pie filling is SO easy (no stovetop required)! It’s simply sliced apples coated in a sugar/flour/spices mixture.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Next, you’ll spread the bread pudding in the prepared baking dish, and then layer the apples on top of the egg-y bread.

Now the streusel topping! Do you love streusel as much as I do? What’s not to love?? Brown sugar, cinnamon, and lotsa butter. It really takes this bread pudding to the next level. Cut the COLD butter into the other ingredients until it’s nice and crumbly and sprinkle over the apples.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Bake it all up until it’s golden delicious and a little bubbly on the sides. You can top this with whipped cream, ice cream, or even some caramel sundae sauce. No matter how you eat this, it’s going to make you feel all warm and cozy from head to toes!

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

I have to admit, when I look at these cupcakes, all I can see is that cream cheese frosting.

It is just so very ???????? ???????? ????????.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Back when I thought I wanted to own a cupcake bakery (have I told you about that short lived dream?? Have to say I’m sooooooo glad that didn’t work out!), I would cart cupcakes around to just about everywhere I went, including my full time retail/sales-y/corporate-ish job.

And I remember someone there once saying, “you know, it’s really all about the cake. Anyone can make good frosting, but the cake… you have to really know what you’re doing to make a good cake.”

7-ish years into the business of making A LOT of cakes, cupcakes, frostings, and other desserts nearly every day… I have to respectfully and adamantly disagree.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Because here’s the thing. A doctored up cake mix makes about as good a cake as I’ve ever had. I’m a cake fiend, and I’m not ashamed to admit I prefer cake mix to from-scratch cakes a good 90% of the time.

This cake mix pumpkin cake recipe has been my go-to for years. It’s simple and easy to remember: cake mix + a can of pumpkin. You could really stop there, but I usually add a little milk, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice just to give it that “homemade” taste.

Now don’t get me wrong. From scratch cakes have their place. Like I don’t think that  good banana cake can be outdone by a cake mix. And I do actually like Red Velvet from scratch marginally better than a cake mix Red Velvet. But other than that… I hardly see a reason to deviate from my favorite mixes. And that’s the truth.

Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

But frosting? I do like the store-bought stuff, and it has it’s place in my recipes for sure. But there are some from-scratch frostings that just cannot be beat by something from the store. Like my mom’s brownie frosting, Grandma’s 6-Layer Cake Frosting, and this soft sugar cookie frosting.

And maybe most especially– CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

As much as I like store-bought frosting, I have to say that canned cream cheese frosting isn’t even in the same ball-park as homemade cream cheese frosting. It doesn’t even taste like cream cheese! WHAT?!

So when it comes to cream cheese frosting in my recipes, homemade is the only way to go. And it’s really pretty easy as far as frostings go– as long as your expectations are realistic. And what I mean by that is that you can’t treat it like a buttercream. This recipe won’t be as stiff or as sturdy as a decorating buttercream. So don’t plan to do any sharp piping work or anything with it.

But you CAN plan on falling in love with it. It spreads on nice and smooth and creamy. And the flavor is light and dreamy with just a little tang from the cream cheese and a whole lot of vanilla flavor. I love using vanilla paste or crushed vanilla in place of the extract. Can you see those little delicious flecks??

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

This recipe is such a keeper, ya’ll. It’s one of those no-fail, timeless classics that’s worth hanging on to and pulling out at least once every Fall.

Enjoy!!