The 2012 Fall Baking Thread

[MissGotRocks]

I actually make a different chocolate version of the "better than sex cake". I have to make it for every single occasion because everyone seems to love it
When I'm on the computer and not falling asleep at 3 in the morning I will post mine.

Had anyone else done the Amish friendship bread? It is literally the best bread ever for fall and Christmas. I am hoping to make a bunch of loaves and passing it out. Now, I just need to get my hands on the starter batch. I had it going for a long time, probably a few months but I got tired of having to take care of the starter and to bake bread every week. But now I miss that awesome bread!

We have done the Amish Friendship bread... Agreed that it is AMAZING!!
But there was so much "burping, squishing and feeding" of the "starter" bags, that my mom and I dubbed it "bondage bread"!! It's like you could never get rid of it once you had it!! LOL But it is SOOOOO good!!

So true! When you don't want anymore bread you just can't bring yourself to get rid of the starter! I hate being wedded to stuff like this so I usually turn down the offer for more!

 

[minousbijoux]

Well, as a thank you to my younger teenage son, I made him a batch of Toll House chocolate chip cookies - yum. I don't know where they've all gone, but this morning, there are only about half left - I certainly wouldn't have eaten any

Then when I was finished, I left the oven on, turned up the heat, and made Ellie Krieger's pumpkin muffins from The Food Channel. They had multiple reviews, all with 5 stars. They have great flavor, but are so moist as almost to be wet, which means, if we don't eat them all or freeze them by today, they'll mold really fast (that's what happened last time I tried to make pumpkin muffins). So if you want stickily moist but light and flavorful, and you don't mind if the sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top has totally been absorbed by the moisture ( ), good. Otherwise, thumbs down. Anyone have a good recipe they'd like to share?

 

[zoebartlett]

I laughed when I saw friendship bread mentioned. I love it but it stresses me out! I feel compelled to keep it going even if I don't feel like it, and I can't take the pressure anymore. I actually haven't received a starter batch in a few years, and I'm kinda glad.

My husband and I disagree about my apple crisp, so I haven't made any in a long time. I'm too lazy to peel the apples, so I leave 'em in. The peels add fiber to the dish, and really, who couldn't use a bit more fiber in their diet? He hates that I do this, so he refuses to eat it. I don't want to make a whole apple crisp for just myself, so I don't anymore. Maybe someday I'll feel like peeling apples but I hate to do it.

I did just buy a dutch apple pie today from a bakery we love. I can't wait til dessert tonight.

 

[tuffyluvr]

My mom was a wonderful cook, but a TERRIBLE baker! Seriously, she was so bad--one Thanksgiving she made a "soggy-bottom apple pie" (my sister and I named it that). It was like slimy goo instead of crust on the bottom. Once she tried to make a coffee cake and somehow got 409 cleaner in it. Ewwww. So I learned to cook at a young age, but never really baked.

Baking totally intimidated me, and I never really baked until I started dating DF. I have gotten pretty good over the years, but FMIL totally blows me out of the water. She is amazing. She makes the flakiest, most perfect pie crust ever and she has the patience to make these really labor-intensive desserts that I would get fed up, have a hissy fit and throw everything away without even finishing the recipe. Case in point:

Last Sunday she made these adorable little apple pie cookies. she served them warm and they were so delightful--so precious and delicious.
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/10/apple-pie-cookies/

One of my most favorite things she makes are these delightful little caramel mousse tassies with a pecan shortbread crust. I don't know where she got the recipe--I'm pretty sure she told me that the crust is just dolled up sugar cookie mix (like the kind that comes in a packet and is sold with the cake mixes). They look like this, and this recipe looks yummy, but this is not the way she makes them. I need to get that recipe!
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Caramel-Cup-Tassies-Allrecipes

The filling she puts in them is like this, though:
http://www.cuisineaz.com/recettes/mousse-au-caramel-au-beurre-sale-12544.aspx

I'm pretty sure I could eat 1,000 of these things if I had the opportunity. They are so. good. dayummm

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Admittedly, this might not qualify in this thread.....but I don't typically make buttermilk pancakes in the summer....they just seem like comfort food during cold mornings.....

I made my Mother's recipe this morning and DAM they are good! I can post the recipe if any one is interested....

cheers--Sharon

 

[minousbijoux]

I made my Mother's recipe this morning and DAM they are good! I can post the recipe if any one is interested....

cheers--Sharon

Oh yeah, Sharon, like we're gonna say no?!!! Post away!

 

[monarch64]

I laughed when I saw friendship bread mentioned. I love it but it stresses me out! I feel compelled to keep it going even if I don't feel like it, and I can't take the pressure anymore. I actually haven't received a starter batch in a few years, and I'm kinda glad.

My husband and I disagree about my apple crisp, so I haven't made any in a long time. I'm too lazy to peel the apples, so I leave 'em in. The peels add fiber to the dish, and really, who couldn't use a bit more fiber in their diet? He hates that I do this, so he refuses to eat it. I don't want to make a whole apple crisp for just myself, so I don't anymore. Maybe someday I'll feel like peeling apples but I hate to do it.

I did just buy a dutch apple pie today from a bakery we love. I can't wait til dessert tonight.

Zoe, why doesn't your hubby peel the apples for you?!

 

[canuk-gal]

I made my Mother's recipe this morning and DAM they are good! I can post the recipe if any one is interested....

cheers--Sharon

Oh yeah, Sharon, like we're gonna say no?!!! Post away!

OKIEDOKIE!

Buttermilk Pancakes.

3 large eggs, separated
1 2/3 cups buttermilk (I use full fat)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tblsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 tblsp. melted butter (cooled, or it will curdle egg yolk)
dash salt
couple dashes nutmeg

Measure buttermilk in a seperate bowl and add baking soda. Let sit for a few minutes. Sift remaining dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, melted butter, vanilla and buttermilk. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Do not overmix. Fry in pan or griddle.

Batter keeps in fridge for one day. Pancakes freeze well.

Additions:

Apple and cinnamon. Make sure grated apples are fairly dry (you can pat them) as they tend to make the batter "soggy".
Mashed banana and pecan.
Canned pumpkin and allspice.
Ginger.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Skippy123]

I laughed when I saw friendship bread mentioned. I love it but it stresses me out! I feel compelled to keep it going even if I don't feel like it, and I can't take the pressure anymore. I actually haven't received a starter batch in a few years, and I'm kinda glad.

My husband and I disagree about my apple crisp, so I haven't made any in a long time. I'm too lazy to peel the apples, so I leave 'em in. The peels add fiber to the dish, and really, who couldn't use a bit more fiber in their diet? He hates that I do this, so he refuses to eat it. I don't want to make a whole apple crisp for just myself, so I don't anymore. Maybe someday I'll feel like peeling apples but I hate to do it.

I did just buy a dutch apple pie today from a bakery we love. I can't wait til dessert tonight.

Zoe, why doesn't your hubby peel the apples for you?!

that is a great idea!!!

do apple peelers work???

 

[Haven]

I love my apple peeler/corer from Williams Sonoma! It was $25 when I bought it, looks like it costs $30 now.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/820373/

We have a big apple fest at the house every year, and I do a lot of cooking and baking with apples, so it's totally worth it for us. I don't own a lot of single-purpose gadgets, but this one is the best.

 

[zoebartlett]

Monnie, that's a good question! We've agreed that if he peels the apples I'll do the baking, but when it comes time, he backs out. I might break down and peel them myself soon. I've been craving apple crisp for a while now.

I did just finish making chocolate chip cookies. Nothing special, just the good ol' Tollhouse recipe, but still delicious.

 

[Skippy123]

I was going to make pumpkin pancakes for my twins tomorrow but now I can't find the pumpkin I thought I bought? Nothing like pumpkin bread or pancakes to welcome fall!

thanks Haven!!!

 

[AGBF]

I was going to make pumpkin pancakes for my twins tomorrow but now I can't find the pumpkin I thought I bought? Nothing like pumpkin bread or pancakes to welcome fall!

thanks Haven!!!

Skippy-

I will take this opportunity to mention that I went to a Trader Joe's. There isn't one near my home, but there is one within driving distance. I found cinnamon sticks for $2.00 there (see chicken kapama thread) and bought them. Thank you for the tip! I also bought a package of Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix to try. (I have never made pumpkin bread from a mix although I have also never made it from a real pumpkin. I usually make it from "scratch" using canned pumpkin...if one can call that "from scratch".) I couldn't help but notice that Trader Joe's also sold pumpkin pancake and waffle mix (which I studiously avoided). I love all things pumpkin, but I am dieting! It is really hard to diet when when the larder is chock full of things one has cooked and baked that one loves to eat!

Deb/AGBF

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

I forgot to post my Better than Sex cake recipe! Here it is!

1- Box of Chocolate Cake
1- Bag of Heath English Toffee Bits- crushed to wanted size
1- Large Cool Whip defrosted
1- Caramel sauce (I use Smuckers Sundae Syrup)
1- Can of sweetened condensed milk

Bake the chocolate cake one day before topping.

After baking the cake, poke holes in the cake- I use the blunt end of a chopstick.

Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk into the holes and cake until the whole cake is covered. You can pour some caramel on the cake also if you want. I usually dribble a little bit onto the cake.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, I frost the cake with cool whip. The cake itself is going to be sweet and moist so cool whip seems to balance it out since its not an extremely sweet substance. Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with the heath bar.

Make sure to keep the cake in the fridge!

 

[Skippy123]

I was going to make pumpkin pancakes for my twins tomorrow but now I can't find the pumpkin I thought I bought? Nothing like pumpkin bread or pancakes to welcome fall!

thanks Haven!!!

Skippy-

I will take this opportunity to mention that I went to a Trader Joe's. There isn't one near my home, but there is one within driving distance. I found cinnamon sticks for $2.00 there (see chicken kapama thread) and bought them. Thank you for the tip! I also bought a package of Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix to try. (I have never made pumpkin bread from a mix although I have also never made it from a real pumpkin. I usually make it from "scratch" using canned pumpkin...if one can call that "from scratch".) I couldn't help but notice that Trader Joe's also sold pumpkin pancake and waffle mix (which I studiously avoided). I love all things pumpkin, but I am dieting! It is really hard to diet when when the larder is chock full of things one has cooked and baked that one loves to eat!

Deb/AGBF

Deb, yay for finding the cinnamon sticks! I have tried the pumpkin bread mix and the pumpkin pancakes while shopping at TJ's both are delicious but I do like homemade from the can a bit better! I remember watching Maratha Stewart and she said that she feels can pumpkin is just as great as cooked and pureed fresh so that convinced me I didn't need to go to the trouble of making my own puree. My husband felt home pureed was the best (he loves to cook too).

 

[AGBF]

I went looking for a new apple crisp recipe, but found myself searching by ingredients instead. (I'm one of those people who likes to try entering ingredients I love into recipe search engines and seeing what recipes pop up.) This recipe looked fascinating to me since it looked more like a layered dessert or lasagne type casserole than the usual apple crisp. I want to try this when I have the chance. I thought other Pricescopers might find this interesting, too. It is from a site I subscribe to, allrecipes.com.

Deb/AGBF


Apple Crisp

"Three layers make up this hearty 9x13-inch crisp. Sweet apple slices find their home between generous layers of a delicious crumbly mixture -flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and oatmeal."

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 1/2 cups packed brown
sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
2 quarts peeled, cored and
sliced apples

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly.
3. Take half of the mixture and pat it into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Cover crumb mixture with apple slices, then sprinkle apple slices with remaining crumb mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender.

 

[AGBF]

Taking a short break from the presidential debate thread to update my part in the fall baking thread. I have a loaf of Trader Joe's pumpkin bread in the oven now. I added an extra egg and some chopped pecans and I am going to look around and see if any glaze recipe on the 'net takes my fancy. The one on the box (confectioner's sugar and milk) looks mundane and I have made the one that goes with my BetterThan Sex Cake a couple of times in the last month. I just want to see what's out there that might complement pumpkin bread with pecans.

This glaze that is made to go with this pumpkin bread looks just made for the pumpkin loaf I have in the oven! I won't even have to add the pecans to it!

http://www.thecountrycook.net/2011/10/pumpkin-bread-with-brown-sugar-glaze.html


Deb/AGBF

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the new apple crisp recipe, Deb! I never would have thought to layer it, but it sounds like a fun alternative to regular crisp.

 

[Skippy123]

I made pumpkin blueberry bread tonight.

It wasn't very sweet but still good. I added about 3/4th cup blueberries to the recipe.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-bread-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes.

 

[Haven]

Deb, your Apple Crisp recipe makes me feel like a huge underachiever! I make this apple crisp and it is the easiest, quickest thing ever. I love it and we never have any left, but boy is it the lazy woman's apple crisp!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/apple-crisp-iii-2/detail.aspx

The only changes I make to the recipe are to add some cinnamon and vanilla into the crisp mixture itself. And I use more apples. Mmmmmm. Now I want some apple crisp and vanilla ice cream!

 

[vc10um]

I thought I would report back in since I was finally able to make the Pumpkin Spice Mexican Wedding Cookies last week for the husband. They were incredibly easy to make and quite tasty! DH really liked them! Recipe is on page 1 of the thread. If you DO make them, I'd suggest increasing the spices a little bit (maybe by 50%) and do two rolls in the powdered sugar: one while still warm (which makes a sort of glaze) and one after they've cooled pretty much completely. Oh, and the best part? Because there aren't any eggs, you can eat as much of the raw dough as you want...

 

[audball]

We did a Fall themed date night and baked from scratch! They came out awesome.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 24 cupcakes (frosted generously!!)

Cupcake Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups canned pure pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients: (half the icing recipe if you prefer less icing)
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
7 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (equals one 32oz bag)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method for the Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare muffin tins by lining them with paper liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, white sugar, light brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
4. In three batches, add the flour to the wet ingredients and stir to incorporate. Don’t overmix, but incorporate thoroughly.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups almost all the way.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and a knife inserted comes out clean. If you have to have two layers of tins in your oven, rotate them halfway through the cooking time for even baking.

Method for the Frosting
1. Blend softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
2. Add in vanilla and cinnamon, blending everything well.
3. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar a cup at a time, blending mixture after each addition.
4. Frost cupcakes when they have completely cooled.
Note: If you’re not serving these soon after frosting them, refrigerate until ready to serve (because of the cream cheese in the frosting).

 

[audball]

Bonus pictures!

 

[minousbijoux]

Audball - thanks for the visual aids! I felt like I had made them, only without the mess (you left that photo out)!

 

[audball]

Audball - thanks for the visual aids! I felt like I had made them, only without the mess (you left that photo out)!

Glad you enjoyed them! We photographed the whole thing! I'm not a messy cook...but here are some that show how many dishes we used!

 

[minousbijoux]

You are such a cute couple!

 

[minousbijoux]

Oh, and so is Darwin and your other fur baby.

 

[audball]

You are so sweet! Thank you. Here is a better picture of Mimi. I didn't realize you can't even see her face in that one. She's cleaning the pumpkin out of her beard

 

[Skippy123]

oh wow, great pics audball, yum!!! I had a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie once and it was sooooo good so I bet those are fabulous!

 

[audball]

Glad you enjoyed them! There are more pics elsewhere that you can peruse if you want to see the whole saga!