Pumpkin Muffins with Vanilla Glaze (Doughnut Muffins!)

So, it officially has started looking like fall here in London. The leaves are starting to turn red, brown, orange and yellow. The weather is definitely getting colder. And supermarkets and farmer's markets are piled high with apples, pears and pumpkins.

I have never ever baked with pumpkin before. I haven't even tasted pumpkin pie. Don't kill me yet. I took this opportunity to make scrumptious pumpkin doughnut muffins (the vanilla glaze makes them doughnut-y). Pumpkin combined with cinnamon and nutmeg - it just screams fall!

I made my own pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins following this method. I highly highly highly recommend doing the same because the flavor is so much richer, it's more fresh and there are no sketchy additives! 

Unlike most other recipes, the glaze here is a must. It adds that tad bit of crunch, sweetness and most of all, gives them the doughnut feel.

Fall, muffins, pumpkin, faux-doughnut. What are you waiting for?

Ingredients

For 9 large muffins
For the muffins:
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup baby/quick-cooking oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
 4 tbsp greek yogurt
1 cup homemade pumpkin puree
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat oven to 195 C.
Prepare a muffin tin with 9 muffin liners and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda.
In another mixing bowl, beat brown sugar and egg until thick and pale. Add in the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree and greek yogurt. Beat again.
With a spoon, mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the 9 lined muffin cups. Fill each fully.
Bake 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in a center comes out clean.
While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix in the milk and vanilla extract.
When muffins are almost cool, dip and swirl tops of muffins into the glaze and let the glaze run off the sides. Place in a plate or on a wiring rack till muffins come to room temperature and glaze has hardened.
As always, enjoy!

Vanilla Pear Muffins

Last Sunday at the farmers market, I picked up a bag of delicious, juicy, organic pears - I mean, it is fall after all! Some of them I inhaled straight out of the fruit bowl while the others decided they wanted to start ripening quicker than I could eat them, so the baking mindset took over and I made these wonderful, light vanilla pear muffins.

The combination of vanilla, pear and nutmeg pair so beautifully together, you'll wonder why you never thought of it before.

So before I meander off, just remember that then end point of this post is to tell you to go make these muffins.

Anyways, I am leaving for Cambridge in just over a week. I need to start packing, getting my things together, finish a pending math review packet and be mentally prepared to leave my family for all of two months. Not a lot. At all. I know. But I love them to the end of the world. Knowing they're less than two hours away from me (Cambridge to London) means so much; I couldn't wish for anything more.






Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baby/quick-cooking oats

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp orange zest

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 small ripe pears, thinly sliced

granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Line a muffin tin with muffin cases and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, oats, nutmeg and salt.
In another larger bowl, beat together eggs, vanilla, orange zest, brown sugar and applesauce until well combined.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined; do not over mix.
Fold in half of the pair slices.
Distribute the muffin batter evenly.
Stick 3-4 thin pear slices into the top of the muffins. Sprinkle granulated sugar onto the muffins.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until muffin tops have slightly crisped and browned.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!

Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch!

I. Made. My. Own. Cereal.

And not just any cereal - cinnamon toast crunch! It has more cinnamon, more sugar, and all round more goodness that storebought. I promise you'll never turn back after you make it once. You get to see exactly what's going in to your stomach as well as add as much cinnamon and sugar as you wish (obviously more!).

The whole wheat flour adds a real nuttiness and texture that you will definitely enjoy. What's more is that the recipe uses coconut oil, which has been making it's mark in the health and food world in a big way lately.

Before you shy away, it's easier than you may think! Just make the dough (in a food processor!), roll it out, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, cut it into squares, poke some holes and bake away! Within moments, the waft of cinnamon sugar goodness will spread throughout your home.

It's delicious with milk right out of the fridge (the milk's gotta be cold!) or straight out of the box as an any-time-of-day snack.

Better and healthier than the storebought version, this cinnamon toast crunch is undoubtedly worth a try!

Ingredients
Makes around 5 cups of cereal
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted and divided
1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a food processor, add the whole wheat flour, flour, baking soda and 2 tsp cinnamon. Pulse to combine.
Add in 1/3 cup coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla and honey. Pulse again until dough resembles small crumbly pea size balls.
Add in the buttermilk and process until a dough forms. The dough might seem a bit dry, but fear not - it's fine.
Preheat the oven to 175 C.
Divide the dough into two flat discs.
Dump one of the disks onto a lightly floured counter and roll the dough as thin as possible, ideally 1/8 of an inch thick. Brush 1 tbsp of coconut oil on top.
Combine the 1 tsp cinnamon and granulated sugar and generously sprinkle half of the mixture on.
With a sharp knife, slice into 1/2 inch squares. Pierce each square 2 to 3 times withe a fork. Using your hands or a thin spatula, carefully place the squares on the prepared baking sheets.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until light golden brown on top. After 10 minutes watch carefully: it can go from beautiful golden brown to burnt very quickly.
Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Serve with milk, yogurt, fruit or straight out of the box.
Enjoy!

Coconut Lemon Bundt Cake

A week ago, I had gone to Whole Foods with my mom (I could live in Whole Foods!) and had picked up some dessicated coconut with the intent of using it in my baking adventures. And so I did. 

Lemon and coconut meld so well together. Such a tropical blend. They sound like such sharp, strong flavors but truly just add a subtle hue to a delicious bundt cake. The edges crust up perfectly and the middle stays spongy and moist. Perfect texure. Perfect.

The coconut milk and eggs lend the majority of the wet ingredients in the batter and no added fat is required. If you're ever skeptical about the lack of butter or oil affecting taste, please don't be! Just give one recipe a chance and you'll realize that you honestly won't miss the butter or oil. Ever. Ok not exactly. Most of the time is more accurate. Most often, you can replaced the butter/oil with mashed banana or applesauce. Anyways, I'm getting side tracked here.

This bundt cake (it can really be made in anything: loaf pan, muffins, round cake but I was in the mood for a bundt!) is exceptional at teatime and makes a great quick breakfast. Neither of the flavors overpower and I wish I could explain in words just how well they blend together!

Ingredients
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, stirred well
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dessicated coconut

Optional Glaze
lemon juice
icing sugar

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 175 C.
Lightly brush a bundt pan with butter and set aside.
Zest the lemon and rub/mix the zest into the brown sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the lemon-infused sugar and eggs until pale and frothy.
Beat in vanilla.
With the mixer on low, beat in the flour, followed by the lemon juice and coconut milk.
Finally, fold in the dessicated coconut.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick or thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the glaze, just mix together sifted icing sugar and lemon juice until desired consistency. For best results (obviously not the healthiest), make a thinner glaze the first time and pour it all over the bundt and let it soak in. Once all the syrup has been soaked in, make the glaze again but much thicket this time. Pour it neatly over the bundt and let it drip over the edges. The glaze should harden and form a nice layer.
Enjoy!