fall cinnamon rolls

I mean, can anyone really ingest enough pumpkin in the fall? Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice chai, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies...I feel as though I'm not really enjoying fall unless I have inhaled a daily consumption of some pumpkin-type food.

So when I came across the recipe for these pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese I had a feeling that this would become another fall favorite, and boy was I right!

The cinnamon/butter/sugar filling slightly caramelizes while baking, so when you're eating the fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll, the roll itself is soft and chewy while the filling is a bit crispy. And that cream cheese tang beautifully complements pumpkin every time. It's like eating the whole season in one (not so) perfectly shaped pinwheel.

forget the cake...

So it's a chocolate cream cheese cookie with chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting on top... are you with me? Yes these are everything you'd want from a chocolate cheesecake, but in a handheld cookie form.

The picture above should really be captioned #lazy (p.s. this video explains my love of the hashtag). Basically, I just plopped the frosting in a ziploc, snipped a corner and bunched the cookies close together so that I could frost all of them at the same time. I mean, they all tasted great so that's really what counts here, right?

super soft

It really doesn't get any better than this. I love a soft, chewy cookie and typically snickerdoodles are only soft on the day they are made. The secret ingredient (it's really no secret at all) is a bit of cream cheese. 

The cream cheese isn't noticeable, and if anything it helps create a bit more tanginess that snickerdoodles characteristically have. Of course these would be wonderful to bring to a holiday party, potluck, Yankee swap, etc. I love bringing cookies to a party because 1. they're portable and 2. who doesn't like a cookie?

easy, breezy mornings

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while now, so when my sister invited a friend and I over for brunch, I knew this would be the perfect accompaniment. First of all it's pumpkin flavored, and we all know how I feel about that. 

Secondly, it's a cinnamon French toast (which I love) but baked, so you're not laboring over a pan flipping a couple of pieces of bread at a time. Thirdly, this is better if you assemble it the night before baking, giving you the morning to leisurely toss this into the oven and do your nails or something. 

turn it over

Well, here's another pumpkin recipe, as promised. I hope you're not getting too sick of apple and pumpkin yet because there's more to come... although Ruby just turned 3 last Saturday, so I'll have her birthday recap coming up soon.

Sometimes I have a lone sheet of puff pastry begging to be used, and when I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge (I hate to toss that...) I knew turnovers were destined to be in my near future.

Pumpkin and cream cheese are a wonderful pairing and I just love puff pastry. It's so easy to work with and yields such a wonderful, flaky, buttery result (that is so much better than pie crust, in my opinion), and the best part? It's store bought. Yup, homemade puff pastry dough may be on my list of things to make someday when I have tons of butter and tons of time, but for now, the grocery store wins.

pump it up

Now that we're in October, I've decided to focus my baking on two fall staples: pumpkin and apple. I've got a lot of great recipes in store for this month (and none of them are pumpkin or apple pie!) so stay tuned and hopefully you'll enjoy what I'm dishin' out.

I'm so excited to share these beauties. I love pumpkin muffins with cream cheese, and when I came across this recipe over 8 years ago, I fell in love a little more because there was an amazing topping. 

Cinnamon, sugar, pecans and coconut all on top of an already delicious muffin?! Yes, these truly are worth making. 

shaken, with a twist

After realizing that September's Avid Baker's Challenge was another yeast-based recipe, I was shaken. I mean, we all remember how my "focaccia" turned out: flat and crispy... basically, the exact opposite of focaccia. But I was ready for a redemption, so I gave myself plenty of time to let this baby rise for as long as it wanted to (and it wanted to rise All. Day.).

I wasn't crazy about the idea of apples in the bread, so I only did half the amount called for, and the other half I replaced with crunchy pecans- a perfect complement to the cinnamon and apples. I replaced some of the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat flour and reduced the sugar in the dough because I knew the glaze would be sweet enough. 

Speaking of the glaze, it's completely unnecessary (and I normally love glaze). I even made the glaze with cream cheese so it was extra tasty, but since the bread isn't too sweet it just seemed to overpower it. The recipe makes 2 loaves and one loaf I glazed, the other I left plain, and the plain one not only lasted longer, but it was amazing sliced, toasted and slathered with butter (as are most breads, I realize). 

no bake = cool kitchen

With the weather heating up, I crave cold foods. I know I'm not alone in this and I definitely know I'm not the only one who hates turning their oven on in the Summer. This is where the genius of no-bake desserts really shine and take center stage. 

In all honesty, I actually prefer a no-bake cheesecake to the original baked cheesecake. While I like regular cheesecake, it's very dense and rich and makes me feel a little heavier after I eat it. On the other hand, this no-bake cheesecake is literally whipped into a lightness and there's the smallest hint of that cream cheese tang.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Yes it’s fall and pumpkin recipes are out in full force. I’m really sorry if you are one of those people who don’t like pumpkin flavored food. What a shame. So sad. Well I may not change your mind (or your taste buds) with this recipe, but these are pretty tasty.

If you like cheesecake and pumpkin, these are the bars for you. There is a fantastic shortbread crust, with an oat and nut topping, that adds a much-needed crunch to combat the richness of the filling.

This really is an easy recipe to make. No fancy mixing equipment involved here, just a couple of dirty spoons and bowls.