Coconut Oil Blueberry Muffins

For those of you who are counting, this is now the fifth blueberry muffin recipe I have posted on my blog. Although that might seem like a lot, I don't think you can ever have enough blueberry muffin recipes. Plus all of the recipes are slightly unique and deserve their own spot in the archives. These coconut oil blueberry muffins are one of my recent favorites. Like I have mentioned in the past, coconut oil gives baked goods very sweet yet subtle coconut flavor. It is not overpowering, but provides just the right amount of sweetness to muffins, cookies, breads and so much more.

In the case of these muffins, shredded coconut gives them a little extra coconut kick but it can also be left out if desired. If you are a true coconut lover, try substituting coconut milk for the low-fat milk.

Coconut Oil Blueberry Muffins
Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod
Yield: 10 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 large egg
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the melted coconut oil, egg, milk and vanilla extract until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently fold with a rubber spatula. The batter will be thick. Add the shredded coconut and blueberries. Gently fold into the batter.

Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I first made these cranberry cream cheese cupcakes last year when I was testing out cupcake flavors for Thanksgiving. Out of all the flavor combinations that I tried, cranberry + cream cheese was my favorite, although sweet potato + marshmallow was a close second. These cranberry cream cheese cupcakes were also one of my dad's favorite cupcakes from last year. This past weekend we celebrated my dad's birthday and I wanted to make his something special. I remembered that he loved these cupcakes and immediately got started on making them again. Instead of trying something new, sometimes it is best to go the safe route and make something that I already knew he would enjoy.

I love this combination because the sweet cream cheese frosting, which has a slight maple flavor, is the perfect complement to the tart cranberries in the cupcakes. You could leave out the maple syrup all together, but I love the extra sweetness that it provides. Happy birthday to my amazing dad- I love you!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Krissy's Creations (cupcake originally adapted from Confessions of a Foodie Bride, frosting from Annie Eats, who adapted it from Confections of a Foodie Bride)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups fresh cranberries, tossed in 1/2 tbsp flour

Frosting:

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners and set aside. 

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat until fully combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the almond extract and vanilla extract. Mix until fully incorporated after each addition.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, salt and baking powder. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk. Mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, toss cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour. Turn off the mixer and add the cranberries to the bowl. Using a spatula, mix until fully incorporated into the batter. 

Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Frosting:

In a stand mixer fitted the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. 

Slowly add the powdered sugar to the bowl and continue to mix until incorporated. Finally add the vanilla and maple syrup and mix until frosting is smooth and reaches your desired consistency. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Say hello to one of my favorite fall cookies, the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie! I am a chocolate chip cookie girl all the way. I would choose a chocolate chip cookie over a sugar cookie, an oatmeal cookie, or any other cookie out there. But in the fall I like to switch things up and add pumpkin to the mix. Because really when is adding pumpkin a bad idea? These pumpkin chocolate chips cookies are soft and chewy, just the way I like my cookies to be. 

I am finally down to my last can of pumpkin- I started the fall season with 8 cans and have been baking pumpkin everything since then. I only have a few more recipes to share before I turn my attention to holiday baking. At the supermarket tonight we came across eggnog, gingerbread cookies and a whole aisle of Christmas candy. I don't want to get too ahead of myself yet though- lets slow it down and enjoy these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for a while first! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars. Beat until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Mix until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Turn off the mixer and add the chocolate chips. Gently fold into the cookie dough with a rubber spatula.

Scoop cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Favorites at Trader Joe's

Have you guys been to Trader Joe's lately? I love this time of year because they sell pumpkin everything. A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to Trader Joe's and picked up a few of my favorite pumpkin items. The girl at the cash register said that it must to be pumpkin day. Why yes, yes it was pumpkin day. Today I thought I would share a few of my must-try pumpkin treats from Trader Joe's.

Earlier this fall I tried pumpkin ice cream for the first time. I loved it. I need to stock up on this "Pilgrim Joe's" pumpkin ice cream so that I can enjoy it all-year round. So rich and creamy!

For the most part I never bake with boxed mixes. I prefer to make everything from scratch whenever possible. However, for the few times when I am in a pinch and need to use a boxed mix, I love to use the boxed mixes from Trader Joe's. In my opinion, they are much better than the boxed mixes you get at other grocery stores. I love the pumpkin pancake mix, as well as the pumpkin bread/muffin mix sold  every fall. 

Another boxed mix that I love is the Trader Joe's pumpkin bar baking mix. Now that I think about it, their bars are not too different than the Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Bars I made last week. Although I prefer the homemade version, the boxed mix is still really good.

I was a little bit skeptical when I first saw these pumpkin macarons. I didn't think frozen macarons would be very good, but decided to try them anyways. I was pleasantly surprised. Although they are no Bouchon Bakery macarons, I liked them more than I expected. 

I love pumpkin butter and this version from Trader Joes is one of my favorites. It is good on so many things, including toast and english muffins. If you have never had pumpkin butter before, it is truly for all of the pumpkin lovers of the world. It is a much stronger and pure pumpkin taste than many other pumpkin sweets. 

Pumpkin cream cheese- I could literally eat it with a spoon. I like it best spread on a pumpkin bagel. There is no such thing as too much pumpkin.

If I had a toaster in my apartment, I would probably make these frozen pumpkin waffles every morning. 

I was so excited when I saw these pumpkin croissants. Although they still require an overnight rising period, they are extremely easy to prepare. I also love their chocolate croissants.

Pumpkin Ravioli is one of my favorite fall meals. The Trader Joe's version is slightly sweeter than most. The filling tastes similar to pumpkin pie- it is almost more of a dessert ravioli than a dinner ravioli. But I still love it!

And I saved the best for last- the Trader Joe's pumpkin body butter. It is definitely my new favorite body butter. It is so thick and creamy. I think it smells more like cinnamon and other fall spices more than it smells like pumpkin. But I love it, even more than the coconut version they sell during the rest of the year. 

Those are all of the pumpkin things that I am loving right now- anything else that I am missing?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I am just sharing these products with you because I love them. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Happy Halloween! We are officially halfway through the Trick-or-Treating window and only one kid has stopped by our apartment. One single kid! I don't know why but I expected a much bigger turnout given the number of young kids in our apartment building. Such a disappointment! On the other hand, we now have a huge bowl of leftover Halloween candy- I can't complain too much about that. I can almost guarantee that all of the gummy bears will be gone tonight. And I am thinking that another batch of Kit Kat Cupcakes need to be made with the leftover Kit Kats. 

Anyways, we are almost in November now and I have been hearing that some people are all pumpkin-ed out. I am not at that point yet though. Actually I never get sick of pumpkin- I am known to bake with it all-year round. These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars are one of my new favorite pumpkin recipes. Packed with chocolate chips, these bars are incredibly moist and cakey in texture. Not only are they easy to make, but they completely satisfy my craving for all things pumpkin at this time of the year.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Recipe from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl on a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined. Add the pumpkin puree and continue mixing until incorporated. Wit the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Turn off the mixer. Gently fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. 

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread out into an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan.