pretzel bowls

Last night I made A Beautiful Mess pretzel bowls. They turned out SO delicious! Everyone loved them. I filled the bowls with homemade broccoli potato cheddar soup. This recipe is a keeper.

Fall Baking Pumpkin Bread

 Making the topping I just used my hands to mix it. 

Bread with crumble top before going in the oven.

Every time I go to Starbucks I am tempted by their little square of pumpkin bread. I love Starbucks' pumpkin bread because it has no nuts or chocolate chips. I  also like the little pumpkin seeds on top. Today I stopped myself from buying their pumpkin bread because when you think about it a can of pure pumpkin is cheaper than a slice of Starbucks pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin bread is awesome because if you have a can of pumpkin, you most likely have all the other ingredients in your cupboard. Nothing makes a house smell like Fall than pumpkin bread. I found the recipe I liked because it used brown sugar and vanilla.  

Pumpkin Bread:
¼ cup butter
¼ cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
⅓ cup water
½ tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

Topping:
1 Tbl flour
5 Tbl brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbl cold butter

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 8″x4″ loaf pan (or three small loaf pans) with baking spray. Set aside. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter, oil, sugar, and brown sugar. Add pumpkin puree, water, and vanilla, mix until smooth. Add one egg at a time, mixing after each addition. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, mix just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan. Set aside.

Make topping, in small bowl combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter with pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. I used my hands to make the crumble. Sprinkle topping over batter.

Bake for 1 hour (35-40 minutes for small pans), or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Topping will begin to darken but should not burn. Cool in pan, then on wire rack.

So easy and yummy!!

Fall Baking Triple-Chocolate Bread

 This weekend I baked a Triple-Chocolate Bread from Better Homes and Gardens Fall Baking magazine. This issue is full of lovely baking ideas! It is 10 bucks but I think well worth the money. The great thing about this the triple-choclate bread recipe is you most likely already have all the ingredients in your pantry.

 This bread is wonderful! It is really chocolaty. It was a nice change from cake. 

I recommend eating it warm with a scope of vanilla ice cream. Per my usual I forgot to take a picture until after everyone had finished dessert.