Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

I think I went a little overboard with my purchasing of canned pumpkin. Is that even possible? I bought a case. I really love pumpkin and have had a hankering for Pumpkin Cheesecake. I have been seeing so many gorgeous Cheesecakes on Pinterest. But the thing is, you have to refrigerate your cheesecake and I needed these bars for a party tonight! In my travels, I stumbled upon a very easy recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. Now when I tell you easy, I mean EEEE-Z. Not easy like you open a pouch of ingredients and add water, I mean easier than a cheesecake easier. Although if you double this recipe, you can actually make a cheesecake if you place all ingredients in a spring form pan. I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, which makes me happier than all get out. I planned on bringing these to a dinner party at Lily's home, but they were gone in a flash. Note to self, double this recipe next time! These bars are perfect for a snack, dessert or in my case breakfast. I used  chopped walnuts, but you can use pecans or choose to go nut free. Either way, these are a perfect Holiday Bar.

 

 

Here's what you need: flour, brown sugar, butter, chopped walnuts, cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla.

Combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter to make a crumb mixture. Stir in nuts. Set aside 3/4 cup mixture for topping. 

Press remaining mixture into bottom of 8x8x1 1/2 inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15  minutes. Cool slightly.

Combine cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla in  large mixer bowl. I used my Kitchen Aid. Blend until smooth. 

Pour over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars. Makes 12 bars. If you double the recipe and put it in a spring form pan, it makes a wonderful cheesecake ( increase baking time)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

1 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. packed golden brown sugar
5 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Libby's solid pack pumpkin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine flour and brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter to make a crumb mixture. Stir in nuts. Set aside 3/4 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture into bottom of 8 x 8 x 1 1/2 inch basking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Combine cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Blend until smooth. Pour over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars. Makes 12 bars. If you double recipe and put in a spring form pan it makes a wonderful cheesecake (increase baking time).

Recipe adapted from Cooks.com 

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

This was supposed to be a weekend of catch up. But life doesn't always work like that.  Since there is a world record  storm coming up this way, FRANKENSTORM, worst storm since 1938, that is a priority. So we have been buckling down, getting the generator ready, putting away boats, furniture, draining pipes, and I have been been baking up my own kind of storm. Since I used most of my flour last week, I cut this recipe for Vegan Pumpin Bread in half, unfortunately, because this is such a delicious moist pumpkin bread, no eggs, no dairy, perfect storm bread!  The only ingredient that I switched was walnuts for pecans, still very good! If you would like the recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Bread, make sure to check out Joy the Baker Cookbook for so many amazing recipes including this one. Nettie

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

I really love pumpkin and since it has been rainy and colder, I have been feeling like baking something with pumpkin, what could be better than a pumpkin chocolate cake? This cake is moist and filled with chocolate, not overbearingly sweet. This cake received rave reviews from four different friends, all saying it was one of the most delicious cakes and that they didn't want to share! Perfect review I think! I baked this cake in a Rose Bundt pan to show off the pumpkin, chocolate and pecans in a beautiful design. I think it is a show stopper.

This cake is very moist and rich, I used Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Bittersweet Chocolate Chips for this recipe.

Here is what you need: butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, baking chocolate ( I used both Ghiradelli chips and Ghiradelli baking chocolate), vanilla, pumpkin, pecans, cinnamon ( not shown).

Beat butter, add sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

Mix dry ingredients. Add to mixed butter, sugar and eggs, then add pumpkin.

Add pumpkin to batter.

 

Grease Bundt pan well.

After dividing the batter in half, add melted chocolate. Mix well.

Sprinkle chopped pecans to the bottom of the greased bundt pan.

To the other half of the batter add chocolate chips, mix well.

Pour pumpkin batter with chips on the bottom layer, sprinkle a layer of pecans, top with chocolate batter, sprinkle pecans to the top. Bake 60-70 minutes, test with a knife that it comes out clean. This cake took about 10 minutes longer to bake, the knife did have melted chocolates on the knife, so it doesn't come out perfectly clean. Let cool for 15-20 minutes, my cake stuck in one spot, I eased it out and put it together where it had come apart, it still looked beautiful.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

 Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup (6 ounces) Bitterwseet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, divided

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; add to the creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition. 
• Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion. In a well-greased 10-in. fluted tube pan, sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans. Spoon chocolate batter over pecans; top with pumpkin batter. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.
• Bake at 325° for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. This recipe was inspired from Taste Of Home.This post has been linked up to these fabulous blogs!
  
  
  
  

Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins

Because, it was 42 degrees this morning - in October- no way- yes way - I know, I was in shock too, especially after being in Boston this week with 75 degree weather! Because, it was so cold I was holding my tea mug just to get my hands warm. Because, it is fall and this happens in New England. Because, everywhere I turn I see pumpkins - subliminal food/baking advertising. Because, I am not making pumpkin pies until that wonderful day in November. Because, I am not ready to start raking, but rather baking. Because, I am not supposed to start every sentence with a preposition, that was drilled into my brain in parochial school. So I will not start off by saying because, just that I really want to turn on the oven and bake Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins.

Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins

I think that the word muffin is another word for cake. " Mommy, may I have a slice of cake for breakfast?" - No. " Mommy, may I have a muffin for breakfast?" - Sure go ahead, have two! Makes sense to me! So, these are Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins. Or you can just tell yourself they are muffins.

Here is what you will need. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin, vegetable oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, sugar and cinnamon. I used the large can of pumpkin and doubled the recipe. I usually double recipes and give baked goodies as gifts, my waistline is much happier about this. The recipe on this page is not doubled.

Mix Pumpkin, oil, eggs, sugar and pumpkin pie spice together with a whisk.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then add to wet mixture.

Mix dry mixture and wet mixture until just combined.

Use your favorite ice cream scooper and  place two scoops into muffin tins.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of muffins before you place in oven to bake.

Bake for 25 minutes, insert a knife or toothpick to test if it is done, it should come out clean.

MMMMMM- warm- cinnamony- pumpkin perfection.

If you love pumpkin and cinnamon- you will love these- super moist and fluffy.

Pretty morning breakfast pumpkin muffins.

Ray's Chinese dragon peeking his head out of the foliage protecting our home. I think of my father in law every time I pass the dragon.

Pee Gee Hydrangeas. During the fall months, they start turning a beautiful shade of cream and rose.

Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins


 Ingredients for Muffins

• 15 ounces solid packed pumpkin
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Sugar topping

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Place liners in muffin tins.
2. Blend with a whisk in a large bowl- pumpkin, oil, eggs,sugar and pumpkin spice. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix dry ingredients to pumpkin ingredients until just combined.
3. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar.
4. Use an ice cream scooper and place two scoops of batter in muffin tins. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until puffy and golden brown and when inserting a knife or toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
5. Cool in pan on rack for five minutes, transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine and Smitten Kitchen.

Print now

Recipe blog hop on: Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff and Something Swanky, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Muffin Monday, Joy of Desserts, Shine Your Light.

www.shineyourlightblog.com