Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins

I started out wanting to make these Cranberry Sweet Potato Muffins, but per my usually style I didn't have all the ingredients I needed. So instead of waiting to go the store I reengineered the recipe a bit and came up with these Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins.

Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins

2 Tbsp oil

1/4 c. plain yogurt

1/4 c. brown sugar (increase sugar to 1/3-1/2 c. for a sweeter muffin)

1 mashed banana

1 c. pumpkin purée

1 egg

1/2 c. milk

1 c. cottage cheese

2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp allspice

Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Scoop into greased, paper lined or silicon muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until centers are no longer sticky.

I have to admit I still really want to try the original recipe, too. Sweet potatoes in a muffin just sounds yummy!

Soy Banana Bread

I am always on the look out for a new, healthy banana bread recipe to try. However, I often fall back on this Soy Banana Bread recipe as a tried and true favorite. A friend first shared it with me several years ago and now I'd want to pass it on to all of you! And don't be scared away by the soy flour, it can easily be swapped out with regular wheat flour. I do love that it adds some extra protien to an otherwise carb- heavy snack though so if you're feeling adventurous give a try!

Soy Banana Bread

Sift together:

1cup + 2 Tbsp Soy Flour

1 1/3 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (or 1 cup white flour and 1/3 cup bran)

2 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 cup Sugar (I often cut this down)

Add in:

1/4 cup Oil (or 2 Tbsp Oil and 2 Tbsp Yogurt)

1 Egg, beaten

1/3 cup Milk

1 cup Mashed Bananas (2-3)

1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (option)

Mix until just moistened. Spread into a greased 9x5 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. Enjoy!

So do you have a favorite go-to snack bread recipes?

Wholesome Almond White Chocolate Cookies

Today I have a little something to give your body a break from all the rich, wonderful holiday food this week if it needs it. I wanted to make a cookie that would satisfy my sweet tooth, but still provide my body with some nutrition. So I came up with these Wholesome Almond White Chocolate Cookies. I used what I had on hand, but I think dark chocolate would be great too or dried fruit like cranberries or raisins to make them even healthier. The batter isn't super sweet, but I think with the white chips it's a perfect balance. Also, the texture of the cookies is more of a cakish/muffinish cookie than a dense chewy cookie. If that strikes your fancy then here's your recipe.

Wholesome Almond White Chocolate Cookies

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 mashed bananas

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups oats

1 1/2 cups whole wheat baking flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup slivered almonds

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

In a large bowl mix butter, bananas and brown sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add but do not mix yet, oats, whole wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda. Now mix them all in together (I find that this method prevents the need for dirtying two bowls but has the same effect). Add in almonds and chocolate chips. 

Drop spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. 

So tell me, what's your preference for cookie textures cakey or chewy?

Pumpkin Pumpkin Cake

My experience in the cake decoration area is pretty much non existent so I was thrilled that my pumpkin cake actually turned out. Or shall we say a pumpkin, pumpkin cake. That's right, a pumpkin spice cake shaped like a pumpkin. Sound complicated? It's not I assure you it is not. Little to no artist ability required, thank goodness. So here's how it went down...

I used this Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe as my base, but did 1.5x the amounts and made a few changes to give me two bunt cakes two work with.

Then I made the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting exactly as the recipe states no changes, no modifications, to increasing the quantity. (Shocking, I know.)

Once my cakes and frosting were made and the cakes were cooled it got to the fun part! 

I started by trimming off the bottom of each cake giving me a flat surface to work with.

Then I spread frosting on the flat surface of one of the cakes, enough to cover the cut part and give the other cake something to stick to. This will be the bottom half of the pumpkin. I gently lifted the other cake on top placing cut sides together. It thankfully slightly resembled a pumpkin! 

With the remaining frosting I drizzled the top of the cake letting the frosting run down the sides to give it an "artistic" flair.

For the stem I rolled up a brown paper grocery bag and stole some leaves from my fall decor to give it a little more character. (Yes, they are maple leaves on a pumpkin. Please don't tell.) 

And voila, a Pumpkin-Pumpkin Cake is created. So festive, but really so simple!

Pumpkin Pumpkin Cake (makes 2 smallish bunt cakes)

2 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 c all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1.5 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 scant teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 scant teaspoon ginger

1/2 scant teaspoon cloves

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup canola oil

6 eggs

Preheate oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix first 9 ingredients. Blend until combined. Mix remaining ingredients together and stir into flour mixture just until all the flour is incorporated. 

Pour half the batter in an oiled bunt pan (I used a canola oil spray and it worked well). If you have two bunt pans you can pour the other half of the batter into your other bunt pan. If, like me, you only have one you will repeat this process with the remaining batter after the first cake is done baking.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan until cake is only warm to the touch not hot. Carefully release the cake from the sides of the pan if needed with a knife (a plastic knife works well for this so you don't scratch your pan) and gently flip over and remove cake. Repeat process with the second half of the batter if necessary.