Baked Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast

 Fall? Hello, Fall? Where are you?! Why are you torturing me with 90 degrees still? It's not very nice when I want to bake all of these yummy fall dishes. So I bake them anyway:)

 This casserole will change breakfast for you. Making breakfast before bed and then just popping it in the oven in the morning...YES PLEASE! I'm always worried that these overnight casseroles will be to wet and gooey for me. Not the case AT ALL. This bakes up so firm and delicious.

And aren't pumpkin and cream cheese married? They are in my book. They belong together. And they're so happy together. If you're looking for the perfect Fall breakfast look no further!      

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3 eggs

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 (12-count) package Kings Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, cubed

  

For the crumb topping 

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes

1/4 cup chopped pecans (Optional. I didn't have them this time so I left them out)

2 tablespoons powdered sugar 

  

For the cream cheese filling 

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes; set aside.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and vanilla. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place a layer of bread cubes evenly into the baking dish. Pour half of the pumpkin puree mixture evenly over the top. Spread cream cheese filling in an even layer. Top with remaining bread cubes and pumpkin puree mixture to completely cover the filling. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

To make the crumb topping, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add cold butter and toss to coat, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. You can also do this in a food processor or with a fork or pastry cutter. Place the crumb topping in the fridge until ready to bake NOT on top of the casserole, but in a separate bowl. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over casserole right before putting into the oven. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place into oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Serve immediately, sprinkled with pecans and powdered sugar, if desired.

Enjoy!!

*From damndelicious.net

Easter Treats

Peeps Rice Krispy Squares

These are such a fun way to celebrate Easter! We made them for Camryn’s class and they all went crazy. And they aren’t hard to make! Such a fun, colorful way to make Easter a little bit more fun for the kids. You can find the recipe here. I just added melted white chocolate to the top with Easter sprinkles. Cute as an Easter button ;)

No Bake Egg Nests

We made these for Bryce’s class. I LOVE a no bake cookie and then by adding my FAVORITE Easter candy, Cadbury Mini Eggs, these have turned out to be the best! All you need to do is follow my recipe for No Bake Cookies, found here, and plop some Mini Eggs on top. Easy peasy.

Happy Easter!!

Pumpkin Pecan Delight

One of my favorite desserts is Pecan Delight. The nuttiness of the crust with the creaminess of the puddings are the perfect combo. Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were a Fall version of that dessert? Well here it is!! Yummy pumpkin with real cream and a nutty crust…the perfect fall dessert.

Enjoy Fall with this easy, creamy pumpkin dessert!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup (1 stick)  butter
1/2 cup pecans, chopped small
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups whipped topping, divided 
2 1/2 cups milk
3 sm pkgs. white chocolate instant pudding mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup toffee bits

Layer 1: Mix flour, butter and 1/2 cup pecans together. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then remove and let cool.

Layer 2: Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar, add 1 cup of the whipped topping and fold in. Spread over cooled crust.

Layer 3: Mix milk, pudding mix, canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice and whisk with a hand mixer until smooth and thick. Fold in 1 cup of  whipped topping. Spread over top of layer 2.

Layer 4: Spread remaining 1 cup of whipped topping on layer 3 and sprinkle with toffee bits..
Let chill for 3 hours or until set.

*From Lil’Luna

Pumpkin Roll Bars

In celebration of the start of Fall, I made this cake. It’s a play on a pumpkin roll, but so much easier. It’s so moist and delicious. It can be eaten by itself, or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

I’ve kind of been obsessed with pumpkin lately, so there might be an influx of pumpkin desserts on here! It’s OK because everyone love a good, spicy, pumpkin dessert for fall, right?!

For the Cake:

6 T butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1/4 cup water
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt


For the Cream Cheese Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and water until well blended.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin/butter mixture and combine until well blended. Spread about 2/3 of the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/4 cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the pumpkin batter. Dollop the remaining pumpkin batter over the cream cheese batter and spread out as evenly as possible.  Use a butter knife to swirl together the cream cheese and top layer of pumpkin batter.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the pumpkin batter springs back when touched. Cool completely in pan, then cut into bars and top with whipped cream if you desire. Enjoy!!

*From Six Sisters Stuff

Andes Mint Cookies

This is a fun dessert to do with the kids for St. Patrick’s Day. They loved that they were green and Justin loved them cause they were mint. I love that these cookies don’t require a mixer and the butter is melted. I never like to stray from my favorite cookie recipe, but this was way too interesting to skip.

We’ve made them several times with just vanilla and chocolate chips and they are SO good!! The cornstarch is also an interesting mix. It’s also a good cookie recipe to make with kids because they can stir at all stages.

They make a great, fluffy cookie…just how I like it.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cornstarch
1/2 t salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 t peppermint extract
1 small bag Andes Mints, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt.
In a different medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the peppermint extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Fold in the chopped Andes Mints. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1T of the dough and roll it into a ball and put on the cookie sheet. After the cookie sheet is filled, place in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes. This helps the cookies stay fluffy instead of going flat.

Put in oven and bake for about 8-9 minutes. They will look underdone, but resist the urge to bake them longer. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes then move to a cooling rack. Enjoy!!

*Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Valentines Day Pancakes

I wanted to make a special Valentines Breakfast for my family. So I went on the hunt for an EASY recipe. I knew I wanted Red Velvet, but didn’t want to make a whole “from scratch” thing. This was the perfect recipe!

They are made using a box Red Velvet cake. They were SO fluffy, moist and delicious! I was going to top them with a regular cream cheese drizzle, but decided to amp it up with a Nutella. SO DELICIOUS!! And the perfect Valentines treat for the family! Next time you want to show your family that you really love them…make these:)

Red Velvet Pancakes:

1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups red velvet cake mix
1 T sugar
3/4 t baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1-2 cups milk (I used closer to 2)

Whisk together all ingredients except for 1 cup milk.
Add remaining milk 1/4 cup at a time until you’ve reached your desired “pancake consistency” (thinner batter for thinner pancakes, thicker batter for thicker pancakes.)
Pour pancake batter 1/4 cup at a time onto a preheated (about 300º) and buttered griddle or skillet.
When bubbles form on top, flip and cook for another minute or two on the other side.

*Pancakes from somethingswanky.com


Nutella Cream Cheese Drizzle:

1 t vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
4 T Nutella
4 T cream cheese
milk as needed

Put cream cheese and Nutella in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds to soften. Once you can stir with a spoon (it will be thick), add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk little by little while whisking until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Drizzle over pancakes. You don’t need a lot. Now ENJOY your special day!!!

* Drizzle from anyonita-nibbles.co.uk

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

This is one of the most amazing cakes I’ve ever made. Do you see how beautiful and FALL it is?! It’s so perfect for the season.

I’m not going to lie, this is NOT a low fat, low calorie dessert:) But hey, it’s my philosophy that if you’re going to eat dessert, you need to eat it right. And this is just oh so right.

Pumpkin cake, crunchy streusel and whipped cream cheese frosting layered to perfection.

So next time you’re looking for a fall dessert to make, make this one. It’s so perfect in so many ways. Oh and this also isn’t a cake you’re going to whip up in 30 minutes. It’s a little time intensive, but it’s worth it, so do it:)

Crunch Topping
3 cups pecans, finely chopped
3 cups vanilla wafers (about 75 cookies)
3 cups brown sugar
3 sticks butter

Pumpkin Cake
1¼ cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1 16 oz can pumpkin
2 1/4 cups flour
½ cup sour cream
1 T vanilla
1 T pumpkin pie spice
2¼ t baking powder
¾ t baking soda
½ t salt
4 Eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 blocks (16 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 stick softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar


Crunch Topping

1. Melt butter
2. In a food processor, pulse cookies to a fine crumb. Remove from processor and put into a medium bowl.
3. Then pulse pecans to very small pieces. Add pecans to the bowl with the cookie crumbs.
4. Add in brown sugar and mix well.
5. Add in melted butter and mix until completely blended.
6. Place one very full cup of the mixture into 3 heavily greased 8 or 9 inch round cake pans, pressing into bottom and spreading it evenly into the cake pans. There will be plenty leftover which will be baked to use on the sides of the cake.
7. Set pans aside and begin cake.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Cake

1. In your mixer beat sugar and butter for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scrapping down the bowl frequently .
2. Add in pumpkin and all the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs. Mix just until blended. Do not over blend.
3. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides after each addition.
4. Divide batter equally into your 3 prepared cake pans on top of the nut/cookie mixture, smooth it out and make it as even as possible in the pan.
5. Place remaining crunch mixture in a 4th cake pan or pie dish and allow to bake for the same amount of time as the cakes.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you use 2 racks to bake on in the oven, at the halfway mark rotate the pans. Even if you have them all on the same rack, it’s best to switch them out halfway through.
7. Allow pans to cool about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire racks and allow to completely cool. DO NOT LET THE CAKES COOL IN THE PANS. This is important because the crunch mixture will stick to the pans and you’ll be scraping it out. Now don’t worry if it sticks. Just piece it back together as best you can because remember that it really doesn’t matter because you’ll be covering it all up with frosting anyway. That’s the beauty of layered cakes:)
8. Break up the extra crunch mix to very small bits to use to decorate the cake with.
9. While your cakes are baking prepare a cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Whip the butter until very fluffy and white. Add the cream cheese and whip until very fluffy.
2. Slowly add in the powdered sugar while mixer is on low setting
3. Add in vanilla and mix well and whip for several minutes until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream with the 2 T powdered sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
5. Gently fold the whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Assembly

1. After your cake is completely cooled, I mean COMPLETELY cooled. You don’t want it to be warm at all otherwise it will melt the frosting. I recommend refrigerating the layers a while, especially if you had to piece the crumb mixture back on top of the cake. Then begin frosting the layers and putting the cake together.
2. Frost one layer of cake.  Top the frosted layer with a second layer and frost the top. Repeat with the third layer.
3. When you have assembled all the layers with some frosting between them, start to spread the remaining frosting on the sides and top.
4. When finished frosting the cake, coat sides and top with your extra crunch mixture. Just take handfuls of the crunch mixture and carefully smash it into the sides of the frosted cake.
5. *Store cake in refrigerator.

*Adapted from babygizmo.com