Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s the day before Thanksgiving. And if you're like my mother, you’ve already had everything planned out three weeks in advance. But if you’re the other 99% of the population that hasn’t decided what you’re going to make yet, don’t fret! These Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting are here to save the day.

You will not believe how incredibly moist these cupcakes are. The pumpkin puree keeps them extremely light and fluffy. The cloud of cinnamon cream cheese frosting on top is the perfect touch. And they come together so easily!

Impress your family and friends with these beautiful pumpkin cupcakes tomorrow. I guarantee they’ll ask you to make them at all times of the year!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

·       1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams)

·       1 and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       1 teaspoon cinnamon

·       1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup pumpkin puree (269 grams)

·       1/2 cup granulated sugar (100.5 grams)

·       1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (103.5 grams)

·       1/2 cup vegetable oil (99 grams)

·       2 large eggs

For the Frosting

·       12 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature

·       1, 8 oz. package cream cheese

·       2 cups confectioners’ sugar

·       1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

For the Cupcakes

·       Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

·       In a large bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

·       In a medium bowl combine pumpkin puree, sugars, vegetable oil, and eggs.

·       Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

·       Scoop the batter evenly into a cupcake tin.

·       Bake for 15-17 minutes, and cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

·       In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 3 minutes.

·       With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the confections’ sugar.

·       Add vanilla and cinnamon. Increase mixer speed to medium high and beat the frosting for an additional 2 minutes.

·       You can now frost the cupcakes and serve!

You only need two bowls - one for dry ingredients and one for wet ingredients.

Just combine the two bowls and divvy the batter up into the cupcake tins.

Look at those beautiful golden domes. I could eat them just like this.

Perfect pillows of cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious.

AUTUMN SQUASH SOUP

I’m a big soup person. And especially in the fall and winter, thick savory soups really hit the spot. This creamy autumn squash soup combines all the flavors of the season: butternut squash, pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. And at 150 calories per serving, you won’t pack on the winter pounds either.

Autumn Squash Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Calories per serving: 150 calories

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

·      1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or 20 ounces of packaged, cubed butternut squash)

·      1 tablespoon olive oil

·      1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

·      1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree

·      2 cups vegetable broth

·      1 cup apple cider

·      1 cup fat free half and half

·      2 tablespoons honey

·      1 teaspoon cinnamon

·      1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt

·      1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1.     Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.     Toss chopped butternut squash with olive oil and nutmeg.

3.     Put cubed butternut squash in baking pan and roast for 25 minutes and then let cool for 5 minutes.

4.     Using a potato masher or potato ricer, mash butternut squash until it becomes like a puree.

5.     In a large saucepan, mix the pureed butternut squash with pumpkin, vegetable broth, apple cider, and fat free half and half.

6.     Heat the large saucepan over medium heat to a gentle boil. Add the honey, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper.
7.     Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Sprinkle roasted pumpkin seeds on top if you like.

FUDGY CHOCOLATE NUT BARS

Holiday baking season has officially commenced in Kylee's Kitchen! I always loved this time of the year because my mother would make dozens and dozens of cookies to give out to our neighbors and family friends. I know this is a fairly common thing to do amongst many people, however, I must say nobody makes a Christmas cookie plate quite like my mother. There really is a science to the proper anatomy of a cookie plate. You need a wide variety of shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. So you’ve got your cutout frosted sugar cookies, your peanut butter buckeyes, your gingerbread men, your fudge, your baklava, and last but not least your dessert bars. I’ll be focusing on the dessert bars today – specifically fudgy chocolate nut bars.

These bars are definitely rich. They're chewy, crumbly, and melt-in-your-mouthy (not an actual word, I know). The shortbread crust cuts through the sweetness of the fudgy chocolate center and the nuts add an extra crunch. You’ll definitely be satisfied after just one, but I guarantee you’ll want more!

FUDGY CHOCOLATE NUT BARS
Printable Recipe

Yield: 36 bars

Calories: 195 calories per bar

INGREDIENTS

·      1 cup butter

·      2 cups flour

·      1/2 cup white granulated sugar

·      1/4 teaspoon salt

·      2 and 1/4 ups semi sweet chocolate morsels (divided)

·      1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

·      1 teaspoon vanilla

·      1 cup chopped nuts (either pecans or walnuts)

DIRECTIONS

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.     Use butter to grease 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.

3.     In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and beat some more until crumbly

4.     Press 2 cups of the crumb mixture into the baking pan. Reserve the rest of the crumb mixture (about 1 cup) and set aside. You’ll use it on the top of the bars a little later.

5.     Bake the shortbread crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

6.     While the shortbread crust is baking, pour 2 cups of the morsels and the sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan and heat on the stovetop on low until it is melted (about 10 minutes).

7.     Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.

8.     Spread chocolate mixture evenly over the shortbread crust. Make sure not to get too close to the edge so that the chocolate touches the baking dish because it will burn.

9.     Sprinkle the nuts, the reserved shortbread mixture, and the morsels over the melted chocolate.

10. Put the baking dish back into the oven for 22-25 minutes.

11. When the edges of the shortbread crust start to turn golden brown, remove the baking dish from the oven. Let the dish cool before cutting into bars.

The shortbread crust before being baked

The morsels and the sweetened condensed milk melting on low.

Spreading the melted chocolate mixture onto the baked shortbread crust.

This is the crumbly mixture that will go on top of the bars: 

reserved shortbread crust, nuts, and morsels,

The crumbly mixture spread on top of the melted chocolate

The bars slightly golden and melty after being baked

The top of the bar

You can see the fudgy center