Glazed Pumpkin Donuts

I may or may not have bought new donut pans specifically for this recipe. Ok, so I did. But I swear I'll use them for lots of other delicious donuts too! It's pumpkin season and I've had a hankering for donuts, but when did donuts get to be $1.29 each from the bakery at the grocery store? That definitely is highway robbery. So really, the pans are an investment. And they were rightfully christened with these delicious, cakey, pumpkin gems. Ok, first the donuts: perfect, tender, just the right amount of spice to enhance the pumpkin but not overdone and so soft and fluffy inside. Then they're topped of with a simple glaze (and some of them got double dipped because I had extra glaze!). Yes these are the baked pumpkin donut you've been waiting for.

Lemon Raspberry Bread

Recently there were some delicious looking raspberries at the farm stand. After I bought a pint, Dave and I ate the entire thing in one sitting (maybe 10 minutes)--they were just the perfect combination of tart, sweet and juicy. So I went back to get another pint and paired those raspberries with some lemons for this amazing summer-flavored quick bread. This bread is amazing. Tart, sweet, soft and delicious. I made mini loaves, two of which Dave and I ate up right away. I shared one with Cindy since she needed some sweet lemony goodness in a bad way, and there's one left in the freezer, yet, but I'm not sure it'll be there much longer. This perfect summer recipe came from the best source--a Secret Recipe Club assignment!

Strawberry Mini Donuts

After a long, hard New England winter (let's face it--it was long and hard everywhere), it's finally strawberry season! By far one of my favorite things about May is the influx of these sweet, juicy berries. They haven't hit our farm stand yet, but I know they'll be there soon. In the meantime, I'll pick them up wherever I can get them. But of course, breakfast calls and while I could eat my weight in fruit for breakfast, sometimes a donut is in order. Simple enough, just combine the two, make them mini donuts so you can eat more without feeling like a pig (hey, they're made with fruit so they have to be healthy, right?) and you've got a perfect breakfast treat. Plus, I got enough of these little guys, we dropped a bunch off with Felise and Nick so they could enjoy them as well. Yup, another donut recipe in the books and another reason to pick up some extra strawberries.

Baked Mini Chocolate Cake Donuts

It's a good thing these bad boys are mini. And baked. Because they are delicious and you might be tempted to eat a few. And then a couple extra to convince yourself they really are that tasty. Light and fluffy with delicious chocolate flavor and a perfect glaze, these mini donuts are one of my new favorite things. I got a mini donut pan for Christmas which means I need to make a bunch of donuts to make sure it works. So I started with a classic glazed chocolate cake donut, my absolute favorite. Forget the frosted and the cream filled, I will also grab at these chocolatey, glazed, cakey circles of yum first. They are also my go-to donut hole. I can't deny my chocolate habit in any form.

Egg Nog Cookies

Confession: I'm not a huge egg nog fan. Technically, before these cookies, I wasn't at all a egg nog fan. But I've seen the light in that the subtle flavor can add some lovely goodness to the right cookie. I added this cookie to the rotation because my brother really likes egg nog, and there are some others, Dave included, who enjoy the flavor. These egg nog cookies are light with a gentle crunch and the sweet glaze gets a dusting of fresh grated nutmeg to mimic a glass of the creamy beverage. So, yes, as far as these cookies are concerned, I'm an egg nog fan.

Glazed Donut Muffins

Mmm, donuts.  Er, muffins.  Well either way, these are excellent.  I love a cakey donut and these ones are perfectly spiced, coated with a thick glaze and a soft crumb inside.  I've made donut muffins before, but those we topped with cinnamon sugar or chocolate frosting and sprinkles.  Plus, this version baked up differently. Bigger and fluffier, with an adjustment to the sweetness as a result of using both brown and white sugar.  And the double-dipped glaze is quite literally the icing on the cake (donut).  Thick and sweet, you actually have to bust through the coating, just like a regular glazed donut.  Great for dunking or just gobbling up.  Are you ready for muffins? Because I've got a whole week's worth of muffin recipes lined up for your enjoyment.  What could be better than a muffin themed brunch? Whip up a few batches of muffins, cut up some fresh fruit and pour out some mimosas for a lovely morning with friends and family.  I'll take two, please.

Apple Fritter Muffins

Quite possibly the perfect way to start a crisp fall morning.  A fluffy muffin chock full of apples and cinnamon, double dipped in a sweet glaze.  Paired with coffee or tea and you've got a lovely morning ahead of you.  You know I'm not the biggest fan of apple flavored desserts, so it must mean something that I adored these muffins.  Maybe it was the glaze.  The double glaze.  Or maybe it was just the perfect combination of flavors that let the apple mingle so nicely with everything else that it was apple baked good bliss.  Whatever it was, these muffins are excellent and they should be made in your kitchen before apple season ends.

Maple Oatmeal Cookies

Okay, so I know maple isn't exactly a summertime flavor, but did you really want me to wait until October to share these with you?  They are still delicious and have a soft texture, sweet maple glaze and a touch of maple mixed into the cookie paired perfectly with the nutty oats.  These were also in the package I sent to my Dad and my brother, but I kept a few back for Dave and I to enjoy. These would be great with a little cream filling for a variation on a oatmeal cream pie.  Yup, that soft and delicious.

I pinned this recipe of Valerie's from une Gamine dans la Cuisine because I knew Dave would enjoy the maple flavor and my Dad would love the oatmeal variation.  It's a perfect recipe and I was intrigued that Valerie ground the oats--almost to a flour--before adding to the dough.  I really wanted there to be some maple flavor in the cookies themselves, so in lieu of almond extract, I used maple flavor.  I also added a bit of maple flavor to the glaze.  My glaze was significantly thinner than Valerie's, but still quite tasty.  If you want a glaze that stiffens up a bit faster and doesn't just pour over the edges, try adding a bit more powdered sugar or starting with a 1/4 cup of half and half and adding more until you get the consistency you like.  These are a lovely version of a strong oatmeal cookie that you can adapt with different enhancements and add-ins, but I think the maple flavor is perfect enough.

Lime Bread

I had a lot of limes leftover from Cinco de Mayo.  Apparently we didn't make as many margaritas as I expected.  So what do you do when life hands you limes (but fails to deliver on the tequila)?  You make lime bread!  This is a tart bread, but soft and cakey, and lots of lime flavor.  Lime is well complimented by cranberry, white chocolate, and coconut, among other things, so if you want to cut some of the tart lime flavor, consider adding a cup of mix-ins, which will also be a nice variation on the texture, as well as the taste.  Some of this lime bread went to work for a meeting, some stayed home for Dave, Madaline and Ernie to enjoy, and the rest is in the freezer (probably until the next time I see Cindy--she'll probably love this stuff).

For this recipe, I made some adjustments to the Lemon Bread recipe I used a few months ago from Lind at Stick to Your Hips.  While that recipe is great, I wanted to experiment with substituting sour cream and applesauce for some of the butter and thought this would be a good opportunity since I could compare.  The results were pretty awesome--a slightly softer bread, but otherwise I didn't notice the missing fat.  Again, I went with two big loaves (8 x 4 and 9 x 5), but mini loaves would be great since this packs a lot of lime in it (a result of wanting to use all my extra limes).  One thing I might change is that the lime glaze--more like a syrup--didn't complement this bread the way the lemon glaze added to the lemon bread.  Instead, I'd suggest adding a bit more powdered sugar and making a thin glaze that will set, rather than the syrup version of a glaze.  The recipe below is for the syrup-style, but let me know if you do it differently!

Lemon Bread

A tasty quick bread with a great lemon flavor and a sweet light glaze.  I loved this recipe because it made two loaves, came together quickly and the lemon really shined without being overly tart or sour.  The glaze is light and brings a bunch of lemon flavor, but since it's added while the bread is still warm, I think it adds to the soft, moist crumb of this bread.  Since it made two loaves, I took one to work for a meeting and gave half of one to Cindy since she loves lemon. (Dave and I ate the other half.)  Rave reviews all around, with one of my colleagues even asking if I'd made the bread because it was delicious.  I won't lie--I get tickled every time someone compliments me on a new recipe.

This lemon bread was a result of having 3 lemons in my house and no idea what to do with them.  So I scoured Pinterest for a recipe that would be assuredly lemony.  I finally found the right recipe from Lind at Stick to Your Hips.  This was a perfect recipe, although I opted to leave out the various berries.  I had some strawberries and blueberries on hand, but really just wanted to focus on the lemon flavor coming through.  This could easily be adapted to mini loaves, but I went with 2 loaves, one in an 8 x 4 pan and one in a 9 x 5 pan.  Yummy and delicious.  Make one for yourself and share one with a friend.

Strawberry and Vanilla Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze and Lime Buttercream Frosting

After being challenged by Cindy in the cupcake department, I certainly couldn't let the shower go by without serving a few cupcakes for good measure.  And I made simple fruit flavors to satisfy Cindy's more simplified dessert preferences.  Making the cupcakes mini made them that much more fun and allowed everyone to sample different desserts rather than commit to a full sized cupcake (or feel like a little piggy by having a couple of big desserts).  Plus, this way I got to mix and match the flavors and provide a wider assortment, which is always fun.  The strawberry mini cupcakes had a strong strawberry flavor already, so to pair them with the strawberry glaze made the flavor intense, which is great if you love strawberries!  The lime buttercream was a perfect compliment to the strawberry mini cupcakes.  Likewise, the vanilla mini cupcakes were the perfect palette for both the glaze and the frosting.  Even though Dave and Cindy were both sitting in the kitchen watching me pipe the lime frosting, I kept the beater for myself--this frosting was delicious!  Tasty and cute, mini cupcakes are definitely the way to go.  Plus, I loved the little polka dot mini cupcake liners I found to match the shower's polka dot theme.

Cranberry Orange Bread

I love this time of year. There are so many strong flavors to bake with and combinations to make with them.  Last year I shared with you what might possibly be my favorite cookie, Orange Cranberry Cookies, and today I'm bringing you a breakfast (or snack) version of those flavors.  This bread is delicious.  It's a little more dense than I expected, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful.  The fresh cranberries coupled with the orange juice provide a sweet/tart combination and the pecans provide a subtle nuttiness.  I took this loaf to my parent's house and my Mom and Grandma couldn't get enough.  If I'd have let her, I think Grandma would have eaten the whole thing!

This recipe is from BetterRecipes.com (formerly Mixing Bowl) and was posted by member Jennabee who found it from Better Homes and Gardens.  I cleaned up the order of combining ingredients a little bit and opted to use fresh cranberries rather than dried.  And instead of a cream cheese glaze, I went with the light powdered sugar glaze from the aforementioned cookies for a light topping with to bring it all together.  Make this for a Thanksgiving breakfast or as a homemade holiday treat for a friend or hostess.

Mapledoodles

When I showed Dave this recipe, he only looked at the title and said yes.  My husband is a man of simple tastes and a true New Englander, he loves his maple syrup.  So a cookie, based on the classic Snickerdoodle no less, that tastes like maple?  Yes is all he needed to say.  You'll be pleasantly surprised by the subtle  maple flavor from the sugar and the glaze.  The cookie is both crunchy (at the edges) and soft (in the middle) and the topping combined with the glaze (which, can I just say how awesome this glaze was?  Perfect consistency, not too sweet and made a ton.) offer a unique cookie that is a grown up spin to a classic cookie.

This recipe is from King Arthur Flour.  I had forgotten about it when I went to the store and thus forgot to pick up the maple sugar.  However, Dave and I were at an apple festival a few weeks ago and a local Massachusetts maple grower had a booth set up, selling maple syrup, maple candies and, lucky me, maple sugar.  Turns out it was cheaper to buy it from the vendor and I felt good about buying local (the vendor's farm is about an hour from our house).  The recipe is flawless and I definitely recommend drizzling the glaze on the cookie, rather than slathering it on, so that you can appreciate the taste and texture of the sugar topping and not be overwhelmed by a lot of glaze.

Chocolate Banana Bread

There's so much more than plain old banana nut bread.  Don't get me wrong, there is a place for it in this delicious world, but when I've got upwards of a dozen bananas to make into tasty treats, the last thing I want to do is make the same recipe over and over again.  Having such success with Peanut Butter Banana Bread, I wondered if I could come up with a recipe matching another great flavor with the bread, chocolate.  Turns out I was right and this tasty bread delivering a subtle sweet banana note in a soft chocolate loaf was definitely the way to go.

Using my new found knowledge of ratios, I was inspired by a recipe from Sandra Lee in the April 2011 issue of Food Network Magazine.  I like Sandra Lee's "semi-homemade" style, so her take on this bread made from a prepared muffin mix was interesting.  But her recipe didn't use any fresh bananas so it wasn't very useful for my banana conundrum.  So I broke down the elements and came up with this version, including a very light glaze (almost like a thin donut glaze).  The results a homemade version of Sandra's treat both adorable and more importantly, yummy.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This is so yummy, I had to make it twice in a week because Dave and I ate the first loaf so fast.  I found myself with an overabundance of bananas in the freezer (again) and although I did make a batch of my Banana Nut Bread, I wanted to try something different.  To the internet I went and stumbled upon another peanut butter and banana combo. This bread is moist, full of peanut butter flavor and the banana actually plays a supporting role.  The chopped peanuts are a great little surprise and the glaze brings it all together.

This recipe comes from Sweet Pea's Kitchen and I'm so glad I found it.  I altered the recipe slightly because I didn't have any ground flaxseed.  Since the flaxseed was used as a fat in this recipe, I replaced it with an additional 2 Tablespoons of butter.  The other thing I changed was to double the amount of chopped peanuts--2 Tablespoons just seemed like too few.  When I asked Dave if I should include the glaze, he gave me a resounding yes.  And later we both agreed that the bread just wouldn't be the same without the chopped peanuts and the glaze.  Since we ate the full loaf so quickly, I decided to make mini loaves, in the hope that I might be able to share some with friends.  One has made it out of the house so far.  We'll see about the rest.

Apricot Blondies

These were a sweet surprise.  They were so simple to make and unassuming that I wasn't expecting them to be so delicious.  I didn't plan on baking but I was invited to crash a baby shower (don't ask) and Cindy, who invited me, asked if I had any cookies in the freezer since the mom-to-be loves my treats and the event was pot luck.  I didn't have anything on hand, but never one to disappoint, I took a quick spin through my recipes, looking for something quick and fruity.  Mom-to-be fell in love with the Cranberry Apricot Bars, so I wanted something with a similar impact.  These are sweet and nutty, soft and chewy, a definite win.  Even Dave who doesn't care for the Cranberry Apricot Bars thought these were good.  And Cindy and the mom-to-be raved over these.

This recipe comes from the Christmas Cookies cookbook where I found the Cinnamon Bars and Peanut Butter Brownies.  It's simple and delicious, but unfortunately I didn't have all the ingredients.  The recipe calls for pecans but I ran out last week when I made the Banana Coffee Cake.  Instead I substituted almonds and the match was perfect.  I also added a light powdered sugar glaze.  The nuts and apricots provide a great flavor and the soft texture of the bar make this a wonderful treat.  These would also be great for brunch or a dessert.

Orange Cranberry Mini Muffins

 An adorable little brunch treat with one of my favorite flavor combos.  And, an original recipe!  While I often adapt other recipes to suit my style, flavors or techniques, this is the first time I've actually created the recipe.  As they say, necessity is the mother of invention and I needed to find a recipe for something I could take to a work meeting, with my heart set on mini muffins.  I searched for mini muffin recipes with ingredients I had on hand and actually wanted to bake, but came up short.  So I got creative and I think the end result was pretty good.

The muffins have a great, spongy consistency with a wonderful flavor of sweet and tart from the orange juice and dried cranberries. Next time I would add more cranberries (and I'd love to try these with fresh cranberries).  I might also infuse the glaze with orange zest, but if I'm being honest, the glaze was actually leftover from another recipe, so I worked with what I had.


Orange Cranberry Mini Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I just noticed the salt isn't pictured.  Oops!)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (could increase to 1 cup)

In medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combine. 

Stir in orange juice and zest.

In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. 

Add to creamed mixture and stir until combined. 

Add dried cranberries and gently combine, being careful not to overstir the batter.

Gently fold in egg whites.

Grease a mini muffin pan.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop batter into pan. 

Bake at 375 degrees F for 14 minutes.  Cool in pan for a few minutes before removing to wire racks.  Repeat with any leftover batter.

Optional Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon orange zest

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and spread over cooled mini muffins.  Allow glaze to set.

Makes 3 dozen mini muffins.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

Bananas Foster Bread

A grown-up twist on banana bread!  When my husband and I got engaged, we stayed at this awesome bed and breakfast in Maine and were served Bananas Foster French Toast which was delicious.  We had told my mother-in-law about it and recently she came across this recipe (I think it might be from Cooking Light magazine, but I'm not certain) and had to share it with me.  It sounded pretty good, so I figured I give it a try.

The recipe is pretty easy and I was impressed by the subtle flavor from the rum and a slight nuttiness provided by the flax seed.  I've never baked with flax before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I would not be tempted to skip the glaze on this one--it provides a nice level of sweetness coupled with bit of rum flavor.  It's a pretty thin glaze, so you don't end up with an overpowering sugar shock, just a subtle enhancement.

Bananas Foster Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 small to medium bananas)

1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
6 Tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1/4 cup cognac or dark rum, divided
1/3 cup plain or vanilla fat free yogurt
2 large eggs
6.75 ounces flour (about 1 1/2 cups--but I used the weight measurement)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 Tablespoons butter and 3 Tablespoons rum in a nonstick skillet or pot.

Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble.  Remove from heat and cool.

Place banana mixture in a large bowl.  Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed.

Weigh flour or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.

I had to grind my flax seed, which took a while in the mini processor because it's so fine to begin with.

Combine flour, flax seed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in a small bowl.

Add flour mixture to banana mixture and stir to combine (the recipe suggests using the mixer, but I did this by hand).  Pour batter into greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Remove loaf from pan to complete cooling wire rack.  Hint: put a flexible cutting mat under the wire rack.

Combine remaining Tablespoon of melted butter, remaining Tablespoon of rum and powdered sugar.

Stir well until blended and smooth.

Drizzle over warm bread (the flexible cutting mat will catch any over flow to aid in clean up).

Makes 1 loaf.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

Printer Friendly Recipe

Pin It

Old Fashioned Sugar Cut Outs

Don't they just make you smile?  They are the perfect cookie for Santa, or any time of year.  I use this as my go-to sugar cookie year-round: Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, I even made them for my wedding.  I'm not huge on decorating, but I've done glaze and sprinkles or colored sugar (seen here), as well as glaze and royal icing details.  If you have the patience (and skill) to do all royal frosting details, go for it.  But the flavor isn't that great, so I like the glaze to give it some sweetness.  I also love this recipe because I get to use my plethora of cookie cutters.

This recipe comes from the Food Network, submitted to their online library by Cathy Lowe.  I picked it up in 2002 and over the years, the only thing I've come to change is the baking. I've learned that chilling your cut outs for 10 minutes prior to baking helps keep the integrity of their shape and give you a soft cookie without browning the edges. But the ingredients and the rest of the process remain the same.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cut Outs

Ingredients (for cookies):
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and mix thoroughly.  Stir flour mixture into butter mixture one cup at a time.

Divide dough in half, mold into a disc shape and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill dough 3-4 hours or overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut out using cookie cutters.

Place on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.  (I use approximately 2-3 inch cutters and bake for 10 minutes.  You want to catch these just before the edges turn brown, so if you're not quite sure, pull them out and let them cool on the pans a few extra minutes where they will continue baking.)

Cool on pans for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to complete cooling.

Glaze

Ingredients (for glaze):

3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons milk

In small bowl, stir all glaze ingredients together until smooth.  Place a piece of parchment or a silicone mat under a cooking rack.

Using the back of a spoon, spread glaze onto the center of the cookie (it will spread to the edges), and allow to set on cooling rack.  Any glaze that drips off the edges will  fall onto the parchment and not your table or counter, making for easy clean up.  Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.

For storage, allow glaze to set before packing into airtight containers. If you are going to layer the cookies, I suggest putting one layer in the container and popping it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Then place a piece of wax paper on top and repeat layers.

Makes approximately 6 dozen.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess