Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

It's that time of year when we start baking more and more. We use up our supply of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Our homes smell wonderful and our pants get a little snug. So let it begin with these heavenly Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.

(The little white dots are powdered sugar that I didn't mix in well enough.)

If you LOVE cinnamon rolls as much as me, I imagine that these will enter in your repertoire of great recipes. The taste of pumpkin is quite mild as is the addition of wheat flour. The dough turns out soft, the cinnamon is spicy and delicious, and the topping is ubber rich. Yes, I did love this recipe. Now my only "issue" is that I have a tray of them for my husband and I to eat, or as he suggested perhaps we could share a few (hard for me to let go of homemade cinnamon rolls though). Well, and I guess I do have another "issue". I now have quite a bit of left over pumpkin puree. I suppose I'll just have to make something else delicious today, perhaps something like our Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Pumpkin Bread, or our Pumpkin Cookies. (A hard decision to be sure.)

Black and White Angel Food Cake

Yesterday I pulled out the eggs and cracked 12 of them, separated the whites from the yolks, and let the whites stand on my counter for about 45 minutes. I put the yolks in the fridge and they shriveled; guess I should have put them in a Tupperware or something. Oops.  I grated some chocolate and ended up with brown, chocolatey fingers. And then I whipped the eggs into a massive froth. I turned on the oven, yes even in this temperature, and was delighted when I pulled a beautiful cake out 40 minutes later. The hard part was waiting for it to cool enough to glaze it and eat a piece with some cold milk. But it was worth the wait!

Snickerdoodles

Cinnamon and sugar coat these sweet cookies. Snickerdoodles are very similar to your basic sugar cookie, only you don't have to go to the arduous trouble of rolling out and cutting dough. 

And although the name has the word "snicker" in it, there are no broken pieces of the popular candy bar in here, just good ole' fashion ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, etc. So where did the funny name come from you ask? Well, here is what I found on wikipedia: The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German wordSchneckennudeln (lit. "snail noodles"), a kind of pastry. A different author suggests that the word "snicker" comes from the German word Schnecke, which describe a snail shape. Yet another hypothesis suggests that the name has no particular meaning or purpose and is simply a whimsically named cookie that originated from a New England tradition of fanciful cookie names.

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

Tempted? You should be. These Decadent Cupcakes are just that: supremely decadent or, in regards to food, excessively rich and delicious. Now dicitionary.com defines decadence as: the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay. But I'll choose to ignore that definition and tell you that it also defines decadence as: unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence. Maybe that isn't any more positive? But, I can tell you this- if you make these you will enjoy every minute of their goodness in your mouth.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I have been on a quest as of late. A quest I say, to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thus far I have tried about 4 different recipes. One was a complete, yes, complete failure. They were flat and had way too much butter in them - hard to believe, but it can happen. Kelly, my twolittlechefs cohort, suggested I try the recipe we have on our blog. Naturally I did. And they were quite good. They didn't turn out totally flat and they tasted great. 

Now, before I go any further I must make a confession: I am not much of a chocolate chip cookie fan. Yup, I said it. I know, not very American of me is it, but my half Canadian-half American husband is a big chocolate chip cookie fan. And me, wanting to be a good wifey, needs a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Me: I'd much rather have PB cookies, or better yet our Oatmeal PB Cookie Sandwiches, but I need a great chocolate chip cookie recipe. And so far, I think this is the best. 

Dump Cake (Cobbler)

Back and forth, back and forth. I had a hard time deciding if I should post this recipe on our little cooking blog here. Because while it was a tasty treat, I have to admit, it wasn't the best dessert I've ever had, don't get me wrong, it was good, just not the best dessert we've ever posted. But it does have several redeeming qualities.

Paula's Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

I happen to love oatmeal cookies, and I happen to love trying different oatmeal cookie recipes. I just think there is something delicious and comforting about oats and cinnamon. And I also happen to think that these are probably close to the most delicious oatmeal cookie I have ever had. And I also happen to be loving Paula Deen recipes these days, which is probably not a great thing, because as you know, her recipes are not known for their health benefits. Rather they are known for being rich, decedent, and of course buttery. This recipe is no exception, and in fact beyond being full of spices provides a buttery icing to put on top.

Orange Brownies

"Orange brownies" you say? Don't be deceived there is no chocolate here, but never fear, they are delicious.  Read on....

If I were to name this recipe, I would have called them Orange Bars, as they are quite similar to lemon bars, but with a different citrus flair. They are soft and chewy out of the oven and will keep well in an air tight container for about one or two days. Plus they smell amazing from the time you begin zesting your orange until you take them out of the oven and pop one into your mouth.

Lemon Crinkle Cookie

Okay okay, so I ran out of time. That is pretty common around the holidays, right? Luckily I made these awesome cookies a couple of weeks ago in the anticipation of presenting them on the blog in the near future. I had hoped to post another idea for a cute treat to deliver to your friends this Christmas season, but hey these will work well. In fact, as I was thinking about it, these would be a fantastic addition to any plate, tin, or bag you are delivering this season. Here are the reasons why, 1) they are GOOD; 2) they will be a nice contrast to the fudge you are taking your lovies; 3) they are yellow; 4) did I mention they are GOOD?

Holiday Biscotti

Do you know that I love hot chocolate? And do you know that I love having a delicious piece of biscotti to dip into my hot chocolate? So much so that my dad, who also loves biscotti and buys a big box of it occasionally, always sends me home with a few pieces when I visit. It is great. And what a great treat to deliver to your friends: a beautiful bag filled with gourmet hot chocolate, biscotti, and in my case some chocolate dipped pretzel sticks* as well.

Pumpkin-Apple Muffins

My dear friend and co-chef Kelly was so kind as to search out some delicious recipes for me to try a couple weeks ago. She sent me several options from main courses to treats. Of all of them, this one stuck out to me the most; right away I knew I wanted to try it.

To my delight these muffins turned out just as I had hoped, better really. Much to my pleasure the enjoyment started with mixing the ingredients. No, I didn't have images in my mind of pumpkin fairies sprouting from the can of pumpkin filling (although that would have made for some great pictures), but the smell of the spices mixed together instantly made me feel fallish. It was intoxicating.

Mrs. Fields Cookies

Before beginning this guest post, I feel that Kelly and I have some explaining to do. We have been huge blogging slackers, and we must apologize. We haven't forgotten you, and hope that you haven't forgotten us. Between a nearly over pregnancy (with an ever expanding waistline), the end of a teaching semester for both of us, and Kelly packing up house and home to move across the country, things have been a bit hectic for the two of us. To help with with our lack of cooking, we have solicited the help of some of our faithful commenter's to participate in our "guest post" program. There are no real benefits to this, just the sheer knowledge that you are helping us, the Two Little Chefs. 

So without further ado, let me introduce our first (well second actually) guest post. This is from Jessie and Chris who comment on our blog frequently. Both Jessie and Chris like to cook, try new food, and Chris happens to be an excellent photographer (Christian Lewis Photography). (If you would like to participate in our "guest post" program we would be glad to have you, just shoot us an email.) Below is what they have to say about this tasty looking cookie recipe.

"I was delighted when Caroline asked me to be a guest blogger on Two Little Chefs. I have enjoyed trying the new-to-me recipes. Also, I appreciate the practical tips. However, when I thought about what recipes I could share, I quickly realized that my current favorites nearly all come from Two Little Chefs! Chicken Milano, Spinach Tortellini Salad, Linguine with Shrimp Scampi, and Sweet Barbacoa Pork Salad are all now regulars at our house."

Banana Bread (with optional cran raisins)

I know that I have another banana bread recipe here, but I found another one that I liked equally as well, but for different reasons. This recipe is a bit lighter than the other one, meaning it isn't quite as moist. Also, I added cran raisins to this recipe giving it an extra flavor, which combined beautifully with the bananas.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Where I live it seems like Red Velvet Cake is all the rage. I see it being advertised, I see cakes and cupcakes being sold everywhere from the grocery store to cafes and restaurants. Of course I have been wondering what all the fuss is about, and I have also been wondering what is a red velvet cake? Well, from what I understand Red Velvet cake is a Southern specialty, and anyone that has seen the movie Steel Magnolias can't forget the red armadillo cake. Basically it is a very moist chocolate cake; but it is more than that - it is red for one thing, it really is velvety, and unlike other cake recipes this one calls for vinegar. It also calls for buttermilk which isn't too unusual in baking, but generally not in a cake recipe.

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

If you read this blog, it will be no surprise to you to see a lemon cookie recipe. Kelly and I both love lemons, and so last Friday night Kelly showed up at my house with a bag full of lemons and 5 or 6 lemon dessert recipes for us to try. We debated and decided to try two of the recipes, one was a failure (although we are considering making some revisions) and one was a success.

As you have probably guessed, this sandwich cookie recipe was the success of Friday night. These cookies are so so good, and the filling is irresistible. In fact we had to scold our husbands on more than one occasion for dipping their fingers into the filling as we were waiting for the cookies to cool.

Now, I warn you that while the filling is still soft it will ooze out of the sandwich as you eat, but you can just lick around the cookie as you go, which isn't so bad. Or, if you can actually wait for the filling to set, it will stay put and your cute little sandwich will not be nearly as messy and will still be equally as delicious.

Polvorones: Ground Walnut Cookies

These are the type of cookie that you really cannot eat just one - you have been warned. They are buttery, crumbly, and delicious. They are absolute jems in my mind, of course I love nutty-buttery cookies, so what more could I expect.

Applesauce-Oatmeal Muffins

I enjoy a good bread or bread variation, which is why I enjoyed these muffins so much. They aren't your typical overly sweet, oily muffin, because in fact these muffins are sweetened only with applesauce (I used sweetened applesauce in mine) and fruit. And while they are quite soft, they have a great texture because of the amount of oatmeal and fruit in them. Plus, being an Eat Clean recipe they are quite healthy (although I admit I did alter the recipe slightly and smear mine with butter). 

Maple Walnut Rolls

This is not your basic basket of browned buns! Yes, I was very excited to use so many 'B's' in one sentence, it brought me a smile, but really it is a true statement. I originally got this recipe from the King Arthur Flour website, however I made several adaptations to the original recipe, including substituting cinnamon chips with butterscotch chips, which I believe worked quite nicely.

I made these as rolls, but I think that the dough would work really nicely as a loaf, specifically, I think it would be great to use for French toast, just as the King Arthur website recommends. The bread is not overly sweet and just has a mild hint of maple flavor, which would be perfect for breakfast alongside some bacon. As rolls, they are a nice side to a salad, or toasted with a bit of cream cheese. In the future, I think I will try making a loaf of bread and going for the French toast option...of course I do have a special fondness for French toast; which leads to my next question/request. If anyone has an especially good or unique French toast recipe, please email it to us, I would love to have it.

Oh and if you are looking for a really great baking cookbook, I would highly recommend either the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook or the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Cookbook (which is an especially awesome baking book).

Raspberry Buckle

Is this a dessert? Is it a coffee cake? Is it cake? No folks, it is a buckle.  What is a buckle you may ask, well, according to Lori Longbotham who wrote this recipe, "A buckle is a buttery one-layer cake made with fruit, often berries, and sprinkled with a streusel topping. The cake rises and puffs up as it bakes, then it buckles. The result is a golden cake with berries peeking through the crispy topping."

Whatever it is, it is delicious. I made it for dessert the first night and ate it with ice cream and it was tasty. The next morning, I had some for breakfast, and I think it was almost tastier because it seemed that all the flavors had matured and combined together even more. Try it, love it!

Honey Oatmeal Bread

This is a soft, supple, mild bread due to the high oat content and the use of potato-flakes in the dough. I will admit that it does take a long time to make because it is a slow rising bread, but it is good. The hands on time is only the amount of time that it takes you to put the dough together, but unlike other yeast breads that only require about 2 hours of total rise time, this one takes double that. From what I understand that is also due to the high oat content. Either way though, it creates a loaf that sticks together well and cuts nicely. The look of it is rustic, with a crust that has some crags and valleys, which I think is nice.