Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Canadians! I hope that you're all enjoying the beautiful weather and the time that comes with a holiday.

Here are a few things that I'm thankful for this year:

• A job in my field of work that has a lot of potential (right now in the early stages of program development, so I haven't been doing too much), when so many of my classmates and friends are still without work in this sucky economy.
• A loving and supportive family. I've gone through some pretty major changes in my life in the past few months, and my parents have been behind me every step of the way, and I'm so grateful for them.
• A great group of friends. Even though almost all of the people that I call my best friends live a distance away (anywhere from an hour and a half to all the way across the world), they are still there for me in a moment when I need them, and I hope they feel the same way about me. Good friends don't come by often, and I try to make every effort to keep those special ones in my life.
• A brand new car! Not only a brand new car, but my first ever car! A Hyundai Elantra GT (hatchback) with all the bells and whistles. I'm in love. And it's name is Hernandez. Random? Completely. But when I wondered to myself what I would name my car if I was to, Hernandez was the first name that popped into my head. Crazy I know, it's not even a first name, but it was so outrageous that it's just stuck.
• The beautiful fall weather. Here in southern Ontario we didn't have a fabulous summer. It was cool and rainy most of the time, with only one stellar week of heat and sun. So I am absolutely loving this 20-30 degree sunshiney weather with colorful leaves.
• Last of all, I really am grateful for where I am in life right now. It might not seem like it sometimes. It's certainly not where I expected to be after just celebrating my 25th birthday. Sometimes I actually feel disappointed or concerned that I'm not where I 'should' be. As I mentioned earlier, a few months ago I made a major change in my life, and that was really tough to make. It affected everything in my life from that point on; it was scary and at the time I wondered if it was the right decision to make. But now I know without a doubt it was the right decision, and although my life isn't 'perfect' right now, I am happy. And grateful for what I have.

What are YOU thankful for this year?

 

 

 

Oh, and I'm grateful for these glorious pumpkin muffins. I made these almost exactly 2 years ago, and have been itching for the opportunity to make them again. They're a little more decadent for a muffin, so they won't be making a regular appearance on my table. But it's Thanksgiving! And that pretty much is a go-free card to shove your face full of good food and wear stretchy pants all weekend.

These muffins are incredible. If you haven't seen them on Pinterest or on another blog, you're in for something special! Light, moist, full of flavour, (borderline dessert-ish) but still healthy enough to eat for breakfast or a snack... what? Pumpkin and whole wheat flour makes it healthy. Ish.

Make them. Do it do it do it. And then thank me.

Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients:

For the filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons oil

For the topping:
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

To make filling, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl or food processor and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl or food processor. Add in the butter pieces and cut into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, OR if using food processor, gently pulse until mixture is crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons, a medium cookie scoop works well for this). Slice the log of cream cheese into 12 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin tops.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats, who adapted from BakeSpace.
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Hummingbird Cake

Somehow, this beautiful cake became lost in the mounds of pictures I have. If memory serves me correctly, I made this cake for Mother's Day, months ago! It's a shame I forgot about it, because it was truly a delicious cake. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hummingbird cakes, they are filled with banana and pecan chunks, moistened with crushed pineapple, and tasting lightly of cinnamon spice. Topped with a whipped cream cheese frosting, and we're talking scrump-diddly-umptious. Yes that is a word.

I think that although this cake made a wonderful dessert for late spring/early summer, it would make an equally amazing dessert for the fall. Due to the density of the cake and the warm spices included, it could easily fit into the fall season. It reminded me of Apple Caramel Cake that I made last Thanksgiving for my birthday, which I had decided was my favourite cake to the date. Although I don't think this Hummingbird cake topped it, it's sidled right up behind it! I particularly like this version of cream cheese frosting, because with the whipped cream it makes it much lighter and not as sweet- sometimes with cream cheese frosting the sugar level starts to burn the back of my throat. Too much info? Oops... well, did I mention the whole thing is super easy and quick to make??

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, liquid included
2 cups diced ripe bananas
2 cups pecans, chopped and toasted

Frosting:
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, cold

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans.

Prepare toasted pecans: chop pecans in small pieces and place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, watching them so that they do not burn. Set aside and let cool.

Whisk together flour, soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Add lightly beaten eggs, oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add crushed pineapple (liquid as well) and cut up bananas, and stir until combined. Finally stir in 1 cup of chopped toasted pecans. Reserve the rest of the pecans to sprinkle on top of the cake if desired.

Spread batter evenly among cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.

For the frosting: beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream to nearly stiff peaks, then add the whipped cream into the cheese mixture and quickly and briefly beat to combine. Do not over beat.

To assemble the cake: gently level the cake layers using a large serrated knife to remove any mounded tops. Place first layer cut side down and spread frosting on top with an offset spatula. Continue with the remaining two layers and then frost the sides. Sprinkle with remaining pecans, if desired. Store in fridge.

Source: cake from Bakerella, who adapted from Southern Living.com; frosting from Not So Humble Pie. Pin It

Cookies, cookies and more cookies.

 

So, if you've followed my blog for some time now, you might have noticed that I haven't posted any sugar cookies since Easter. That's not because I haven't been making them; I have actually, although not in gross quantities, but because it felt almost pointless to share them on my blog here. The reason I say that is because I almost always use the same recipe and refer back to one of my original posts for it, and there's not much else that I can say about them. Unlike some of the cookie gurus who post tutorials on how to decorate different cookie designs (Callye from SweetSugarBelle, Marian from Sweetopia, Georganne from Lilaloa), I could never have the time or patience for the amount of work that requires.

So I'm going to share a few pictures of the different creations I've produced over the past several months, and hope that you enjoy!

I should also perhaps mention at this time that this past year I've started up my own little side business- nothing serious, just a part-time hobby endeavour. I mostly bake cookies for different holidays and events like baby and bridal showers, anniversaries, bachelorette parties, etc., and occasionally bake cupcakes and cakes. I love that I'm able to create goodies to share with others, particularly when I see their eyes light up and tell me how fab something looks or how good it tastes. It truly makes my day! And if you haven't already guessed, my little business name is Sweet Inspirations and I have a facebook page dedicated solely to it at: www.facebook.com/mlsweettreats.

 

 

Here are a few Mother's Day bouquets that I made- I had over a dozen orders for them! I think they were a big hit :).

 

 

 

Each bouquet was a little different, and a few were even customized!

A custom bouquet: this customer's mother enjoyed walking, gardening (water can), cooking (pot and spoon), and crafting/scrapbooking (scissors, glue, painting).

 

A bridal shower order earlier this summer. The customer gave me complete freedom to create whatever I wanted to! A little nerve-wracking, but I loved the results!

A wedding celebration of sorts order. I absolutely loved creating this set, because it was so personal! The mother of the bride contacted me and explained that she was having a BBQ in celebration of the return of her daughter from China. While in China, her daughter had gotten married. The mother explained that she wasn't a typical bride; she has a ruby engagement ring and wore a traditional red Chinese wedding dress.

Cherry blossoms and symbols standing for 'double happiness' and 'love'. I have to say, this font was by far the most time-consuming and labour-intensive font I have ever attempted. Each letter had to be drawn out to a point with a tooth-pick. It took forever! But the result was worth it.

 

This was my latest order, from a very good friend of mine who is helping to throw a baby shower for twin girls! The set was designed to match the invites, and I have to say, I love the simplicity of them! I was so excited to make these for my friend.

Well that's it for now! I think in a few months I will do a similar post. In the meantime, if you'd like to see some of the work I do (including some cakes and cupcakes that I don't post on here), please feel free to check out my facebook page (www.facebook.com/mlsweettreats). Pin It

Mini Whole Wheat Citrus Muffins

I made these muffins on a complete whim, but I'm so glad that I did! Actually, not a complete whim- I had read a blog posting on some mini oatmeal peanut butter muffins and was thinking of making those, although was a bit skeptical because I know oatmeal is significantly lacking in flavour. As I was breaking out my new Pampered Chef mini muffin pan a little booklet fell out, which contained a recipe for 'Lil' Citrus Muffins'. Although I immediately changed my mind to wanting to make these citrus muffins, I took one look at the recipe and realized that the ingredients would produce a 'muffin' much more close to a cupcake. The original recipe even has a butter-sugar topping for the 'muffins'! Frankly, it sounded delicious, but I really couldn't justify making 2 dozen secretly-cupcake-muffins just for myself. So I revamped the recipe to make it a little healthier!

These mini muffins were so good that I promptly ate 4 while they were still warm out of the oven. I'm not even ashamed to admit it. They are teensy-tiny and relatively healthy, and really, 4 minis is likely not even equivalent to 1 regular sized muffin. So go and make these!! And then stuff your face with them while they're still warm. Because trust me on this, that's when they taste the best!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, softened
scant 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, or low-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons orange, lemon or lime zest (or a combination!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line mini muffin pan with mini liners or spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well.

In a medium bowl, whisk butter and sugar until well blended (either by hand if butter is soft enough, or with an electric hand-mixer). Add egg; whisk until smooth. Mix in Greek yogurt, vanilla and zest. Add flour mixture; mix until dry ingredients are moistened, being careful not to over mix.

Using a small cookie scoop, drop a scoop of batter into each cup. Batter makes enough for 22-24 muffins. Bake 12-13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool in pan for several minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely on a rack.

Source: adapted from The Pampered Chef, 2006. Pin It

Blackbean, Chickpea and Grilled Corn Salad

As a pescatarian (vegetarian who eats seafood), I'm always looking for ways to get enough protein, particularly because I don't eat fish overly often due to the high cost. Apart from soy proteins, usually made by Yves, beans are my next go-to, and I've become quite fond of black beans in the last year or two. I never used to enjoy them much before, but I'd have to say that they're now my favourite bean! So most recipes that include them I'm willing to try. Add in something that takes under 10 minutes to make (apart from grilling the corn), and I'm hooked!

 



Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 plum or vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped

1 yellow or red pepper, diced

2 corn on the cobs, grilled and kernels removed*

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander or dried coriander to taste (I added somewhere between 1/4-1/2 tsp)

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional- I did not indulge)

1 small clove of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

 

* to grill corn on the barbeque, simply brush each cob with a small amount of vegetable or olive oil, and place on grill over medium heat. Rotate the cob every 1-2 minutes, or when the kernels have begun to get charred. Once the entire cob is done, remove from grill and when cooled, cut off kernels with a sharp serrated knife.

 

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together black beans, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, pepper, corn and coriander.

 

In a separate small bowl, whisk together lime rind and juice, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Pour over bean mixture; toss to coat and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

 

While you can serve this immediately, I prefer to let the mixture sit for a half hour so that the bean mixture may soak up the seasonings. Ideally eat within 2 days, although it was still fine at 5-6 days later for me.

 

Source: slightly adapted from Canadian Living The Vegetarian Collection

 

 

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