People who only eat pumpkin in the fall have obviously never tried the Great Skinny Pumpkin Chip muffin from Commons. I think it’s the most delicious thing we have on campus, even better than the famous brookie- yeah I said it- and perhaps a little bit healthier (it is skinny!). But, as a baker, I’m always trying to find my own recipes for my favorite things. I believe that there’s no feeling better than being able to cook something amazing for yourself and your friends, something perhaps better than what you could buy in the Commons munchie mart. Plus, there’s something about the fall that just really makes me want to bake stuff.
I’ve compiled a list of the recipes that most stood out to me amidst the many food blogs and cooking websites. I hope at least one of them inspires you to buy some ingredients at Publix and get cooking! Even if it’s in the kitchen of your dorm, I guarantee that no one will complain about the smell of any of these baked goods.
Almost Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares
Taken from: Handle the Heat
Here is the recipe that I’m hoping will be comparable to my favorite muffin from Commons- plus it’s in bar form which means that if I cut small squares (which I won’t, but whatever), it will be portion-controlled! There’s just something so addicting about pumpkin and chocolate combined… just trust me. Only make these if you have friends who will take some of them off of your hands!
Ingredients:
1 cup spelt flour (or white whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs (or egg replacers if vegan)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (or agave syrup)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk (non dairy is fine)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (use vegan chips if necessary)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spread the mixture into prepared baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the pan comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cut into 16 squares before serving.
Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Taken from: Ambitious Kitchen
Sea salt on desserts with chocolate or caramel in them is becoming a huge trend in the blogosphere, and these cookies seem like a great way to try the trend out. I think everyone who doesn’t have a nut allergy loves Nutella, and everyone who loves chocolate (AKA everyone) loves chocolate chip cookies. So this is actually a perfect recipe to make for your friends, if you have the time! Adding the sea salt and browning the butter just makes them a little bit more sophisticated :)
Ingredients:
2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup milk chocolate chips
½ cup dark chocolate chips
1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions:
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.
Chill your dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or place in freezer for 30 minutes if you are super eager, although I cannot promise the same results if you do this.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once dough is chilled measure about 1½ tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the dough ball very thinly into the palm of your hand. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled nutella in the middle and fold dough around it; gently roll into a ball — it doesn’t have to be perfectly rolled! Make sure that the nutella is not seeping out of the dough. Add more dough if necessary. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten with your hand VERY gently. (Really only the tops need to be flattened a bit!)
Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Taken from: The Girl Who Ate Everything
So I’m not gonna lie- this is a pretty tough recipe to conquer. But look at the end product! Literally such a major foodgasm. And who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls? I actually can’t think of one person. So if you’re looking for a major crowd-pleaser and consider yourself a decently advanced baker, make this Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake!
Ingredients:
Cinnamon Roll Batter:
2/3 cup white sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
½ cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cheesecake filling:
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons flour
3 eggs
Cinnamon Filling:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch Springform pan.
For the Cinnamon Roll Batter:
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat for another minute. Scrape down bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the sifted and creamed ingredients together. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Spread half of the batter onto the bottom of the Springform pan. This is the hardest part. It will be sticky and thick so spray your hands with baking spray and press down. It doesn’t need to be perfect – it’s very forgiving. It will be a thin layer but will rise up during baking. Transfer the remaining batter to a small bowl and set aside.
For the Cheesecake Filling:
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer (a clean bowl), beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and flour and beat for another minute. Pour all of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon roll batter that is in the prepared pan.
Cinnamon Filling:
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined. Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the cheesecake making sure not to get too close to the sides. If you get too close to the sides the filling could bubble out when baking. Take the rest of the base batter and drop spoonfuls over the entire top of cheesecake. Swirl gently with a knife. The batter is thick but just gently do it the best you can. Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until the center is set. Cake will be puffy and lightly browned. You can cover it will foil for the last 10 minutes if it is getting too brown for your liking. Let chill for 20 minutes at room temperature and then cover and move to fridge for 4 hours. Remove cake and let it warm up to room temperature just a bit. Drizzle with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below).
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Mix in additional milk if desired to reach the consistency you like. Since the top of the cheesecake is pretty delicate, I opted to drizzle the frosting instead of using a spatula. I placed all of the frosting in a large gallon Ziploc bag. I snipped off the corner with scissors (next time I would cut the hole a little smaller) and drizzled the frosting in a crisscross pattern.