Thick Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

You know what's sad? The amount of people who turn up their noses at Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. A lot of people won't give the chewy, cinnamony deliciousness a chance simply because there are delicious raisins thrown in there. I say, to heck with the haters! These cookies are IN.CRED.IB.LE.

I was searching for an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe so I could send cookies to my Uncle Tim when I stumbled across these Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies from Sally's Baking Addiction. I changed them slightly, using raisins instead of Raisinets, but I know either way the results would be phenomenal. These cookies were da bomb.

The cookies themselves were tiny, but delish. They were thick and chewy and had the perfect cinnamony-oatmealy-raisiny flavor. And don't skimp on the raisins either, they add a delicious bite.

So don't turn your nose up at these babies! Make them and enjoy :)

Thick Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
(originally adapted from How Sweet Eats)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 and 1/2 cups raisins

Directions:

1. With an electric or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined.
2. On slow speed, mix in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Manually stir in oats until the dough comes together. Fold in raisins. Roll into balls and freeze the balls for about 5 minutes, to get them to chill quickly.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a cookie rack. Cookies will be very soft and may not appear to be done, but they will set up in minutes.

Snickerdoodle Bread

Happy New Year to you all! Sorry for the delay in my wishes, but I was down in New Orleans with my family to ring in 2013! It was such a wonderful trip. I fell in love with the city and will definitely have a full NOLA blog post for you soon! 2012 was a rough year, so I am hoping that the fun my family and I had in New Orleans is telling of the great things to come this year!

As for New Year's Resolutions, I don't really make them...well, I don't make traditional resolutions. I'd never make a food or exercise resolution cause let's be honest, I'd never keep it. Everything in moderation right?! I kept my resolution last year to drink 64 oz. of water a day and I seriously felt so much better. I don't know if I am just saying that, but now I can't live without all that water! This year, I just am hoping to keep in better touch with friends and family and focus on being a more well-rounded and kind individual. It's not always easy!

But, since I am not cutting off sugar and carbs and all that fun stuff, I present to you this Snickerdoodle Bread. This is a recipe that I've eyed on Pinterest for over a year but have never made. I finally hunted down Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (gracias, Walmart) and put them to work! I made this bread for our neighbors' Christmas gifts, but my family kept a loaf for ourselves too! We munched on this bread while opening stockings on Christmas (hence the platter in the photos).

While the bread isn't the most photogenic, it sure is delicious. The cinnamon flavor is there, but it isn't overwhelming or overpowering. The bread is super soft, and it complements nicely the slight bite of the cinnamon chips. Like most quick breads, my FAVORITE part to eat is the top. The top of this bread is a bit crunchy from the cinnamon sugar mixture poured on top before baking...it's divine. I wanted to cut the tops off all the breads and save them for myself, but Christmas is about giving so I refrained (whomp).

Even if you are making a resolution to eat better, you should give this bread a try! Everyone's sweet tooth deserves a reward now and then! Enjoy!

***I linked up this post over at Taste and Tell,Chocolate, Chocolate and More, Recipes For My Boys, & Food Done Light  

Snickerdoodle Bread
Recipe from Eat Cake for Dinner

Bread:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup sour cream (I used light) 
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 pkg. Hershey's Cinnamon Chips

Topping:

• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease either 4 mini loaf pans or 2 regular loaf pans and set aside.
2. Whisk together your flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand mixer) cream together butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix well.
4. Add your dry ingredients (flour and baking soda) to your wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Once all other ingredients are mixed well, stir your cinnamon chips into the batter.
6. Divide your batter between your 4 mini loaf pans or your 2 regular loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-38 minutes (mini loaves) or for 55-65 minutes (regular loaves). Let cool before removing from pan. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Toffee Cookies

Hello, beautiful.

Ok, so a couple weeks back I confessed my undying love for pumpkin. I can't get enough. Seriously.

From pumpkin muffins to pumpkin bread, pumpkin coffee to pumpkin waffles, and everything in between, I have probably consumed an entire pumpkin patch. And I'm lovin' every minute of it.

Now, while these cookies weren't on my Pumpkin Bucket List, the second I saw this recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod, I knew I had to eat them IMMEDIATELY. So, I went to the store and got everything. Best. Decision. Ever.

While Maria over at Two Peas and Their Pod topped her cookies with a Salted Caramel Glaze, I opted not to because I wanted my cookies sans glaze on this particular day. It was just one of those days. BUT, head over to her site to get the recipe for the glaze so you can fully deck out your cookies if you so please!

These cookies were super moist, with a texture more similar to pumpkin bread than your traditional cookie. The toffee bits added an extra richness, and these pair so incredibly well with a cup o' joe I can't even handle it.

I made my cookies more "bite size" than the original recipe, but feel free to make them any size you please.

Enjoy the goodness of fall with these cookies and tons of other pumpkin treats!

It's always a glorious day when you bust out a can of pumpkin.

Batter time (plus I like the olive/orange color combo goin' on) 

How fun is this plate?!

Right before I licked this plate clean.

Pumpkin Toffee Cookies
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground all-spice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup Heath Toffee Bits or chopped Heath bars

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in Heath Toffee Bits.
4. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges and set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

My Pumpkin Bucket List

Where have I been? Ugh. Real life has officially taken over and let's just say that real life often makes it IMPOSSIBLE to do the things you want to do, like bake and blog. And for that, I am sorry.

First and foremost, while at school, I don't have a kitchen at my disposal - sigh. This makes it extremely difficult to bake (duh) which means I am a sad, sad undergrad (like my poem?). Also, school requires a lot of work. Who knew? And all this work is making it very hard to attend to my blogging duties.

With fall rapidly approaching (tomorrow!!) and  in an effort to return to my Tar Heel Taste Bud friends, I have been hounding Pinterest for recipes for fall! I am a pumpkin lover so I compiled a few recipes here that I am DYING to make!!!!!

Here's my Pumpkin Bucket List for this fall (in no particular order)...

1. Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins from Two Peas and Their Pod

Not only are these muffins topped with cinnamon streusel, but they have a cinnamon sugar filling. Basically I need to eat these every morning this fall.

2. 4 Ingredient Homemade Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt from The Naptime Chef

Chilly weather does not mean you can't eat a frozen treat. This homemade pumpkin frozen yogurt is easy to make and a fun (and relatively healthy?) alternative to typical pumpkin treats!

3.Pumpkin Pull-Apart Monkey Bread with Maple Glaze from Lauren's Latest

In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with Monkey Bread. It's a well-known fact, people. But add pumpkin puree AND a maple glaze - DONE. Give me.

4. Pumpkin Cornbread from Two Peas and Their Pod on Tasty Kitchen

I love cornbread (nom) and I feel like it is the perfect addition to every warm, hearty meal. I am dying to try this PUMPKIN cornbread with my favorite fall meals (i.e. Chili while watching NFL) and/or smothered in honey.

5. Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake from Picky Palate

Ever since this recipe popped up on my Pinterest page, I knew I needed to try it. First of all, I love cake mix recipes because they are super easy and always yield surprisingly wonderful results. Second, I love cinnamon rolls, so I know I won't be able to resist cinnamon rolls with pumpkin in sheet cake form. Count me in.

6. Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Muffins from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

This is a bold statement but I may love white chocolate more than milk or dark. Eek - I said it! There is just something about it that I can't get enough of. I blame it on the fact the fact that I am not a die-hard chocolate fan; I'm definitely a vanilla girl. These muffins look so moist and delicious and I know that the white chocolate will perfectly complement the pumpkin flavor. Definitely looking forward to testing these out!

7. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie from How Sweet Eats

Oh my. I must admit I hate pumpkin pie, but I love cookies and I love pie crust. Combine the two and I'll be in heaven. I cannot wait to enjoy a pumpkin chocolate cookie, surrounded by pie crust, and topped with vanilla ice cream. Yes.

8. Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes from Cookie and Kate

Um, yes. As I mentioned this summer, I love pancakes. LOVE. I want these pumpkin pancakes right now, preferably covered in butter and maple syrup. Waking up to whole wheat pumpkin pancakes this fall sounds pretty darn good to me.

9. Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondies from Two Peas and Their Pod on Tasty Kitchen

It wouldn't be right if I made this bucket list and didn't include a recipe with caramel. Caramel is a fall staple, trust me. I am a bar/blondie dessert fan all the way. I am dying to make these blondies, but may switch the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips - yum!

10. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies with a Maple Cream Cheese Glaze from Sweet Treats & More

Pumpkin cheese makes an annual appearance at my house every Thanksgiving and my family cannot get enough of it. I love that this recipe is a simplified spin on one of my all-time favorite desserts. I'm positive that the addition of the maple cream cheese glaze will only add more excitement for my taste buds. Yumz.

For more pumpkin recipes, check out Two Peas and Their Pod's 50 Pumpkin Recipes for Fall and visit my Pumpkin Pinterest Board for additional inspiration!

Banana Crumb Muffins

Do you know the muffin man? The muffin man? The muffin man. Yes...I know the muffin man. Who lives on Drury Lane? Well, she's married to the muffin man! (Never gets old.)

I have been repeating these lines from the award-winning motion picture, Shrek, for days much to my family's dismay, but these muffins just make me so happy.

I secretly love when bananas are too ripe to be eaten "normally." In a family that hates waste, overripe bananas usually mean some delicious banana concoction will be whipped up. At my house, we are always ready for banana chocolate chip bread, but this weekend I decided that we (I) wanted muffins.

These have the perfect banana flavor, and the crumb topping absolutely makes them. I couldn't wait to pull them out of the oven. When baked, they smell exactly like an Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzel and by that I mean they smell like heaven. And of course, they taste just as good as they smell. The crumble topping adds a bit of texture to the soft muffins. I am drooling thinking about them and while I will not explicitly say how many of these muffins I have consumed in the past 24 hours (I have to maintain some shred of dignity!), let's just say I am definitely adding them to my list of favorite banana treats. They are great when served warm, with a touch of butter. Nom away, my friends.

Banana Crumb Muffins
Recipe from Pip and Ebby

     Muffin:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large ripened bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

     Crumb Topping:

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions (see pictures below)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin papers, or you can grease the muffin cups and forgo the papers. I prefer to use muffin papers, though, because I think it keeps the muffins more fresh.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour for the muffins, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the mashed bananas, sugar, egg, and (1/3 cup) melted butter.
4. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. 
5. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups.
6. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, (4 tablespoons) flour, and ground cinnamon for the crumb topping. Cut in the 2 tablespoons of melted butter until the mixture is moist.
7. Sprinkle topping over the muffin batter inside prepared muffin cups.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Flour Mixture

Banana Mixture                                     

Banana and Flour

Crumb Topping. Yum!

Ready for the oven!