Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

From Bon Appetit/November 2000, found on epicurious.com

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 9X5X2 1/2 inch metal loaf pan.

Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually be in sugar, then beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Beat dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture alternately with milk. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake loaf cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely. Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap in plastic; store at room temperature. Makes 12 servings.

Brandy's Note: I greased and floured mini-muffin tins. I baked at 35o for 15 minutes. Makes perfect bite sized cupcake/muffins to dredge through some cool whip! It made about 5 1/2 dozen, I think.

Mandarin Orange Cake

Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1 - 11oz can mandarin oranges

Mix cake mix, eggs, oil and juice from oranges and beat for 3 minutes. Add oranges and beat 1 more minute. Bake according to box directions for time and temperature.

Frosting:
1 - 12oz container cool whip
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
Mix well with spoon and frost cooled cake.

Note: best if refrigerated overnight!

Banana Split Cake

Please don't kill me when you see how much butter went into that thing. :-) Glad y'all liked it! (Thanks, Shelley!)

4 cups crushed graham crackers
3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 eggs
16-ounce box powdered sugar
20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 to 3 bananas, sliced
12-ounce container whipped topping


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust, mix crushed graham crackers and 1 stick of butter. Line bottom and sides of a 13 by 9-inch pan with mixture. Bake crust for 5 to 8 minutes.

Beat the eggs, 2 sticks butter, and the powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread mixture on cooled crust. Add layer of crushed pineapple and layer of sliced bananas. Cover with whipped topping and sprinkle with nuts or graham crackers. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Original Recipe

Sugared Pecans

I have a lot of requests for this recipe after Christmas, so here it is.

Sugary Spice Pecans

1 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 t cinnamon
dash ground cloves
2 c pecan halves
1 t vanilla extract
cooking spray

Combine first 4 ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring contstantly. Add pecans and vanilla, cook stirring constantly until all syrup is absorbed and pecans are coated. Spread mixture on a baking sheet covered with cooking spray and cool; separate pecans. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Note: it is important to keep stirring through the entire process, about 20 minutes. If you want to make a lot of pecans, keep it in small batches because otherwise your arm will get really tired!!

Swedish thumbprint cookies

So I woke up today freezing cold and got the itch to make cookies. I've been baking all morning and these are the BOMB.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup any flavor fruit jam


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sifted flour, and mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place on cookie sheets. Imprint your thumb in the center to make a 1/2 inch indentation. Fill with your favorite preserves.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown at the edges.

Modifications - I added almost (but not quite) a teaspoon of almond extract to the mix. I used a 1-inch cookie scoop (tiny!) to get them the same size and then rolled them in my palms to keep them smooth. I don't have a 1/4th teaspoon scoop, so I used a 1/3rd teaspoon scoop to press the indent and then the same scoop to scoop the jam. I also used the leftover cranberry/rhubarb sauce from La Madeleine that came with our Thanksgiving dinner and that is heavenly!

I will have to email this to my sister-in-law because there are no eggs and no dairy in this cookie recipe!

I used my 1-inch diameter cookie scoop and got 74 cookies out of 1 batch of dough.

Oatmeal Cake

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 3/4 cup oatmeal, let stand for 20 minutes.

Cream together:
1 stick butter
1 c brown sugar packed
1 c white sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 t vanilla

Sift together:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
dash ground cloves

Mix it all together and pour into lightly greased and floured pan (8x10 usually). Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, cool for 10 minutes in pan, remove if desired. Sprinkle on powdered sugar if you like. Yum! Makes the house smell really good.