Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

I think one of the greatest things about this time of year is the feeling of giving that seems to be everywhere. From the bell-ringers in front of the stores to toy drives at local businesses, I just want to give dang it! One of my favorite things to give other people is the gift of food. I'm not super crafty and I don't have a lot of time to donate (with four small kid I don't have time for anything lately!) but I can whip up something delicious while the baby is napping or when Ben 10 on TV is "babysitting" my boys.

These cupcakes are perfect for making and delivering to your neighbors, teachers, friends or family. You can find the cutest cupcake liners at your local grocery store or craft store (seriously, I could spend a month's worth of income on all the cute cupcake liners available today!) and put them on a pretty plate and ta-da! Instant gift that is sure to please anyone! They are simple to make and the flavors of pumpkin spice and caramel and cream cheese blend together awesomely (totally a word by the way). And don't forget to keep some for yourself!

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Here's what you need for the cupcakes. See the little baggie by the canned pumpkin? It's pumpkin spice from the bulk section of Winco. It's way cheaper to buy your spices this way. The bag of pumpkin spice cost me 21 cents.

Get one cup of pumpkin. I bought a large can so I can save the rest in a separate container for another recipe (like Kelli's pumpkin bread!). Did I also mention that when we bought our first house I was so excited to paint with color that our bedroom was this color orange? Needless to say, the walls literally glowed.

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk, and spice together in a large bowl.

Mix with an electric mixer. By mixing it for a couple of minutes you allow air bubbles to form in the mix which makes your cupcakes light and fluffy.

These taste yummy even without frosting!

FOR THE FROSTING

For the frosting - I have a caramel packet from a pie company in Washington. You can use any caramel you have, like caramel ice cream topping.

First mix the softened cream cheese (microwave for about 10-15 seconds if it's not soft enough) and your stick of butter (NOT margarine!! please people!)

Mix in the powdered sugar a little at a time. If you dump the whole thing in you will end up with a dusty white powdery mess all over your kitchen. Then mix in your spice and caramel.

Isn't it pretty? Before you put it on your cupcakes you are required to take a spoonful and eat it. Required.

Doesn't it look yummy? I dusted mine with a little bit of cinnamon to make it nice and pretty.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Submitted by Celeste - Girls in Aprons

Cupcakes:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix (2-layer size)

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 19-21 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

1 cube butter (1/2 cup), softened

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 lb (16 oz) powdered sugar (or 3 3/4 cups)

Splash of vanilla (about 1 tsp.)

1/4 caramel topping (I may have used 1/3 cup - just whatever tastes good to you)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

Cinnamon (for optional garnishing)

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter. Mix well. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing between each addition. Add vanilla, caramel, and pie spice. Frost cupcakes and dust lightly with cinnamon. Refrigerate any leftovers (as if there are going to be leftovers!)

Pumpkin Bread

Please tell me I'm not the only one obsessed with pumpkin right now.

Aubrey, my 3-year-old daughter, and I made a special trip to the store yesterday. Just for canned pumpkin. Of course I picked up other "necessities" while we were there (Diet Dr Pepper anyone?) but I was craving my pumpkin bread and wanted to kick myself for having not made it yet!

Did I mention we WALKED to the store? It's a 20 minute walk to Target and it was worth every step. This bread is just that good. It's perfect for Thanksgiving day breakfast...or any breakfast for that matter. I won't lie, I had some this morning with a glass of milk.

This bread is super easy to make. It's really just one of those recipes where you throw everything in your mixer, pour into pans, and bake. And, it makes 3 loaves of bread. So, wrap some up and share with friends, family, or neighbors. Or keep all three to yourselves, we won't judge.

Another great thing about this bread is that you can add whatever you want to it. I did one loaf with chocolate chips and did the other two loaves plain. You can also add walnuts, mashed banana, or cinnamon chips. This is also really good with the cinnamon butter I made for the pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin Bread
submitted by Kelli

2 (15-oz) cans pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups sugar
6 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon

Optional add-ins: chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, banana bread, mashed banana, walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three loaf pans.

Using an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with paddle attachment), mix together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients in two batches to the pumpkin mix until just combined. Add any optional ingredients until just mixed.

Pour mixture evenly between the three prepared loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with small crumbs attached.

{If your bread appears done on top but not cooking in the middle, turn your oven down to 250 and continue to cook until the middle is done. I cooked mine for half hour at 350 and one hour at 250}

Pumpkin Pie Dip

I love the fall. The leaves changing colors, the cooler temperatures, the kids going back to school...

I also love that I can bake things that include pumpkins and turkey and cinnamon. Those things just doesn't sound as good in the summertime, right?

My dad sent me some recipes from Taste of Home and this one jumped out at me. Probably because exactly 1 cup of pumpkin was sitting in my fridge from my pumpkin pancakes. In fact, the only thing I didn't have was gingersnaps...not my favorite cookie any other time, but with this dip they were divine. Seriously. Perfect for bringing to a holiday party or pre-Thanksgiving dinner snacking or even cleaning-up-after-Thanksgiving snacking.

Get all this together.



 After mixing the cream cheese and powdered sugar, add the canned pumpkin and mix, mix, mix some more.

Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into a serving bowl. Serve with gingersnaps. You can also serve it with fruit slices (think apples and pears) or on zucchini or banana bread. 

Pumpkin Pie Dip
courtesy Taste of Home

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Gingersnap cookies


In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ground ginger until blended. Serve with gingersnaps. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter

I'm not usually much of a breakfast for dinner person. I used to be, and then I got married.

Jeremiah doesn't like breakfast food unless it's breakfast time. This includes but is not limited to eggs, pancakes, French toast, and crepes. In fact, crepes are "dessert" to him. He was raised by French parents, so he's not entirely to blame.

He also won't eat casseroles, but that's another {sad} story.

Tonight, though, angels were looking out for me and my craving for pumpkin pancakes. Jeremiah is sick and only wants soup.

He'll eat Top Ramen but not casseroles? Who did I marry?!

So I made pumpkin pancakes the way I've been making them but used a technique I found online. I separated the eggs, mixing the yolks with the batter and beating the whites until stiff, then folding them into the batter. The result was super light and fluffy pancakes. It's an extra step, and certainly not necessary, but you won't be disappointed. Trust me.

Love the pic? Maybe just a little? I played around with my photoshop and this was the best I could do. I'm not a photographer by any means {in case that wasn't obvious} but I do try!

 Isn't pumpkin so pretty? I love the vibrant orange!

 Sift the dry ingredients together in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another bowl, except the egg whites if you are planning on beating them separate.

 Another thing I love is beaten egg whites. Weird, maybe, but I love how shiny and glossy and light they are.

 You know your pancakes are ready to turn over when you see bubbles rise to the surface and the underside is browned.

 A pile of pancakes {well, at least the ones my munchins didn't eat} topped with cinnamon butter.

Pumpkin Pancakes
by Kelli Lafranca

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup milk (whole will make it richer, I used non-fat and it was still great)
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
Butter, for greasing

Whisk first 5 ingredients in a large bowl to blend.

Whisk milk, pumpkin, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend well. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just until smooth. Batter will be thick. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in another bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter.

Heat a large pan over medium to medium-high heat (or heat a griddle to 300 degrees) and melt butter to grease the bottom. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto heated pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the bottoms are browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Flip over and cook another minute. Grease pan with butter after each batch. Serve with cinnamon butter.

Cinnamon Butter

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 tsp cinnamon

Whisk together butter and cinnamon.

You can use this cinnamon butter on pancakes, toast, and other bread. Keep in the fridge.