White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

I'm sitting writing this as I breathe in the fantastic smell of pumpkin. SIGH. Fall IS in the air in Cabbage Kitchen.

This is a recipe I got from a close friend of Curtis's family, Trish. Everything she makes is SO delicious, and these cookies don't disappoint. It says at the bottom of the recipe she gave me that her mom always doubled it...so yes, that is what I did. 

The recipe she gave me calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I prefer them with white chocolate chips. I think this lets the pumpkin flavor really stand out above the chocolate, which is good because let's face it, the pumpkin is the main even. 

The recipe also states that you can use butter or margarine. I happened to have margarine on hand, so I used that; however, I am wondering if the cookies would have turned out a bit better if I would have used butter instead. I suppose the choice is up to you! Either way, you're sure to enjoy these cookies. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. margarine (or butter)
• 1/2 c. Crisco
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. quick oats
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. Libby's Solid Pack Pumpkin
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (* Note: this is where I used white chocolate chips instead)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well.
4. In separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. 
5. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin to wet mixture, mixing well after each addition.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Drop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. 

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

'Tis the season for all things pumpkin. Everyone knows that fall is my absolute favorite time of the year... Colorful trees, the smell of leaves, sweaters, apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and best of all...fall treats! I might as well invest in pumpkin puree. 

Anything pumpkin makes me want to drool...and this recipe did not fail. It's incredibly moist, crumbly, and delicious...like most pumpkin desserts tend to be. It's like a warm hug for your mouth. Yeah, I guess I just said that.

I'm typing this at just after 5 in the morning and all I want for breakfast is pumpkin crumb cake! The key to making this dessert extra fantastic is to choose a delicious ice cream to go along with it. I paired mine with maple nut ice cream, and let me tell you...it was to die for.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1-1/4 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 c. canned pumpkin puree
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/3 c. milk
• 3/4 c. chopped walnuts

Topping:

• 2/3 c. + 1 tbsp. rolled oats
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 9x9 baking pan.
3. Sift flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in bowl.
4. In separate bowl, beat butter until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar and eggs, one egg at a time.
5. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla to wet batter mix
6. Gradually mix in dry ingredients.
7. Slowly add milk.
8. Stir in walnuts.
9. For the topping, combine 2/3 of the oats, four, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in remaining 2 tbsp. oats. Spread cake with topping.
10. Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Thanks to Mommy? I'm Hungry! for the recipe.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

This...is my most favorite thing I've ever made. No joke. I have an obsession with Craisins and pretty much anything that has these little morsels in them, I will devour. Yum.

I decided to make my dad some biscotti for Father's Day this year to along with the coffee I bought at a local coffee shop. My dad loves his afternoon coffee with his "snicky-snacks." I had recently had a cranberry orange scone at Starbucks that was to. die. for. so this recipe was already a keeper.

Though I know I am no pro to the biscotti world yet (mine always turn out to be more on the scone-side than anything), I think I'll keep trying new biscotti recipes after this one. If I had more patience, I could probably achieve the biscotti consistency if I added more bake time. 

Needless to say, I'll eat it however it comes out of the oven.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. light olive oil
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tbsp. orange zest
• 2 eggs
• 1-3/4 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. dried cranberries
• 1 c. slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in vanilla, almond extract, and orange zest. Beat in the eggs.
3. In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into wet ingredients.
4. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
5. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (about 12x2 inches) on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. (* Tip: The dough will be very sticky. Have a glass of water set aside to dip hands in as needed as you form the dough.)
6. Bake for 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. 
7. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees.
8. Cut logs into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment-lined cookie sheet.
9. Bake for approximately 8 to 10 more minutes, or until dry. 
10. Remove from oven and cool slowly by placing a flour sack towel over the entire cookie sheet.

Holy Guacamole

Summer is coming to an end, but the veggies just keep on coming. Who doesn't love themselves some guacamole. I know I do! With fresh vegetables and other ingredients, this recipe is worth the extra work for the taste it has in comparison to the guacamole seasoning packets you can buy at the store.

Ingredients

• 3 avocados, peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. onion, diced
• 3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mash together avocados, lime juice, and salt. 
2. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic.
3. Stir in cayenne pepper.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour for best flavor.

* Note: For those of you with more self-control than myself - who don't eat the entire batch in one sitting - for better leftovers, store guacamole in an air-tight container with the pits from the avocados. This will prevent the guacamole from turning brown. 

Norwegian Almond Bread

Because my Norwegian friend is visiting and this bread is always, always a hit, I'm going to post this extremely easy recipe. This is a staple of mine when I am in a hurry to get something made because I always have the ingredients on hand. You're going to be surprised at how easy this is to make...

Typically this bread is made using a pan like the one here; however, you don't HAVE to have one of these pans to enjoy it's deliciousness. You could probably make it in a 9x5 loaf pan, or double the recipe and make it in a 9x13 pan (I have done this before), OR you could even be ambitious and make cupcakes instead. 

Now, I used to have one of those fancy 12" half round loaf pans myself, but my grandma stuck it in the dishwasher and no matter what I do, the bread no longer comes out pretty and clean, and instead comes out in chunks (which still taste delicious). Nonetheless, I have had to resort to the alternative bake-ware I mentioned above. 

On to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
• 2/3 c. milk
• 1-1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. margarine (melted)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat sugar, egg, almond extract, and milk. 
3. Add flour and baking powder.
4. Add margarine.
5. Bake in prepared pan for 40-50 minutes until edges are golden brown. (* Optional: sprinkle sliced almonds on the bottom of the pan.)
6. Cool in pan before removing.
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

See. Told you it was easy. Enjoy!

Homemade Pretzel Rolls

You would be surprised by how easy these guys are to make...and look how pretty! These rolls are great for sandwiches, burgers, or just plain old stuffing in your face. It seems like there are a lot of steps, but I promise it's not as hard as it looks...and the end results are worth it!

Ingredients:

The dough:

• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 c. milk, slightly warmed
• 1 c. water, slightly warmed
• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 to 7-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, whisked with 1 tbsp. water
• coarse sea salt for sprinkling

The bath:

• 7 c. water
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. baking soda

Directions:

1. In stand mixer, mix yeast with warmed milk and water. Let rest for 10 minutes or until foamy.
2. In separate bowl, whisk 6 cups of all-purpose flour and salt.
3. Add canola oil to the yeast mixture and gradually mix in flour and salt with dough hook until all flour has been mixed in. Finish by kneading with hands until dough is mostly smooth. Add more flour if your dough can't be easily handled. The dough should be somewhat stiff. 
4. Cover bowl with damp dish  towel and put in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
5. Once dough has doubled in size, punch down dough in bowl and knead for 1 minute. 
6. Cut dough into 16 pieces. Form dough balls by pulling dough under and place on a well-greased surface. Let the dough balls rise for another 15 minutes.
7. While dough is rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare the pretzel bath: in a large pot, bring water, salt, and baking soda to a rolling boil.
8. Plunge 3 dough balls into the water and let them poach for 1 minute total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer dough to wire rack to drain. 
9. While dough is draining, whisk egg and water together. Place the dough onto a well-greased baking sheet and use a knife to cut 2-3 lines across each roll. Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. 
10. Place in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pretzels are a rich brown.

* Note: These rolls are best enjoyed the same day they are made, BUT since no one in their right mind can eat 16 pretzel rolls in one day, store in a paper bag to avoid soggy buns. No one likes soggy buns. 

Mama Cabaj's Banana Bread

Recipes from Mom are always the best, aren't they? Banana muffins were always popular in my house growing up, so this recipe for Banana Bread/Banana Muffins is my go-to recipe when it comes to using up the bunch of over-ripe bananas collecting in my freezer.

This recipe is super easy and quick to mix up, but I have found the bake time varies with each loaf I make, so just make sure to keep an eye on it. If you are making muffins instead, cut the bake time down to 35 to 45 minutes. This bread is delicious, and I have to say, it's hard to stop after only one slice.

* Note: I have also tried to turn this bread into "Healthy" Banana Bread, and have had some success. Replace the 1/2 c. butter with 1/2 c. of unsweetened applesauce, the 1 c. sugar with 3/4 c. honey + 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and opt to use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 4 over-ripe bananas (mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2-1/2 c. flour
• 1 to 1-1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix butter, sugar, milk, and eggs.
3. Add mashed bananas.
4. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to banana mixture and stir until just combined.
5. Add chocolate chips.
6. Pour mixture into greased loaf pan and bake for 75-90 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
7. Wait until bread has cooled completely to remove from pan.