Pumpkin Bread

This is another highly requested bread! And it's really easy to make!!

What you need:

4 eggs
3 cups sugar
16 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup oil
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

What you need to do:

Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil, water and vanilla until blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.

Pour evenly into 3 greased 8" bread pans and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes (use toothpick to ensure bread is cooked through, dough should not stick to toothpick). Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Freezes great for one month! I've wrapped mine tight in plastic wrap then put it in a Ziploc freezer bag and it's still great after 3 months in the freezer! I even slice a loaf up and individually wrap them for the freezer. That way I can have a slice when I want it without the temptation of eating the whole loaf ;-)

Apple Bread

This has always been one of my most requested items. Over the next couple of months I'll be blogging about a lot of things that people request that I make - it's that time of the year! :) I serve this pre-cut on a platter with butter for a dish to pass (usually with pumpkin bread). I also wrap loaves in decorative plastic wrap (maybe add a ribbon with a candy cane or something) to give as gifts. Today I am making some for my kid's teachers and of course myself!

What you need:

Batter:

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced apples (use an apple that is good for baking - do not add extra or your bread will crumble)

Topping:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
(I usually make 1 1/2 - 2 times as much for extra flavor)

What you need to do:

Batter: In a bowl, blend together butter and sugar. Add baking soda, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, milk, salt and apples. Stir together. Add flour and mix well. Pour evenly into 2 greased 8" bread pans.

Topping: In another bowl, blend together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle in bread pans over batter. My butter is usually at room temperature when I do this so my clumps end up big. I use a fork to swirl or spread the topping onto the top of the batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes (use toothpick to ensure bread is cooked through, dough should not stick to toothpick).  Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Freezes great for a month!  I've wrapped mine tight in plastic wrap then put in a Ziploc freezer bag and it's still great after 3 months in the freezer!  I even slice a loaf up and individually wrap them for the freezer.  That way I can have a slice when I want it without having to avoid the temptation of eating the whole loaf ;-)

Brownie Gems

This recipe is one that I mentioned in my July 2010 blog titled "Baking Gift Kit". It's one that we love and is really easy to include help from little ones.

What you need:

1 package Duncan Hines Double Fudge Brownie Mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons water
2 dozen (approx.) Hersey Kisses, unwrapped
Cream cheese or vanilla frosting
Decorating items: sprinkles, small candies, food coloring
Mini muffin pan
Non-stick baking spray

What you need to do:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, eggs, water, and fudge packet. Blend well. In a greased mini muffin pan, drop a little brownie mix in each cup. Insert a kiss on top of each (don't push all the way down or it will stick to the pan when you try to remove it after baking).

Then cover each kiss with a little more brownie mix. Once you have everything in the cups they should be about 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Let the brownies cool for 5 minutes before trying to remove from the pan. They don't always come out easy! I use a small butter knife to help pop them up from the bottom (making sure the knife includes the kiss or it will stay in the pan).

Let the brownies cool completely. Frost and then decorate. This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen. You can freeze these for about a month in an airtight container.

Decorating ideas:

There are many ways you could decorate these goodies! You can use food coloring to change the color of the frosting. I did this for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day, and for a pink princess party. You could drizzle the tops with chocolate syrup. You could use a variety of candies/sprinkles to decorate them. I tried to give a few ideas in my finished picture. I used a frosting bag and tip to frost the brownies but they can look just as good by spreading them on with a spoon/spatula. If you are adding sprinkles to the frosting, I recommend doing so soon after the frosting is spread. If the frosting starts to "crust" the sprinkles will not stick as well.