Pumpkin Struesel Muffins

I was having a MAJOR craving for pumpkin crunch bars but I couldn't find a recipe that didn't use 3 or more eggs and didn't use nuts on top. Sooooo....I made up one! Sort of. I made them into muffins instead but they satisfied the craving just as good.

Here's what I came up with!

Ingredients:

Muffin:

1 yellow cake mix

15 oz. can pure pumpkin

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Struesel Topping:

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

4 T melted margarine

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl stir together cake mix, pumpkin and cinnamon until well blended. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Toss together all the ingredients for topping saving melted margarine for last. Press 1 T of packed topping on each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes.

Makes approximately 18 cupcakes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pure pumpkin goodness!

This recipe I found on food network was excellent! My hubby loves to buy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from the store so I thought I'd try to make some that are just as good. With this recipe they definitely are!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe courtesy George Duran

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 60 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs *
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.




*The only change I made to this recipe was that I added 2 T of flour to the mix for high altitude and substituted EnerG egg replacer powder for the eggs.

Pumpkin Waffles

This was a really good waffle recipe. It wasn't too heavy and tasted quite good with fruit or with syrup.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Step 1
Preheat waffle iron.

Step 2
In a medium-size bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and pumpkin. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Step 3
Coat the preheated waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour the waffle batter onto the center of each section of the iron. (You will need 1/4 to 3/4 cup of batter for each waffle.)

Step 4
Cook the waffles for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are crispy and light brown. Serve immediately.

This recipe said it serves 4 but it made about double that in my Belgian waffle maker. I found this recipe on Family Fun website.

Pumpkin Bars

I had leftover pumpkin from this morning so I decided to make pumpkin bars. I was too lazy to make the frosting though and I just used canned cream cheese frosting instead. They were still yummy though!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour



• 1 1/2 cups sugar



• 2 tsp baking powder



• 2 tsp ground cinnamon



• 1 tsp baking soda



• 1/4 tsp salt



• 1/4 tsp ground cloves



• 4 beaten eggs



• 1 16-oz. can pumpkin



• 1 cup cooking oil



• 1/2 recipe cream cheese frosting
  

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Beat together two 3-oz. packages cream cheese, softened; 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened; and 2 tsp vanilla till light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in 2 1/2 cups additional powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. This frost tops and sides of two 8 or 9 inch layers. Cover and store cake in refrigerator.

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin, and oil till combined. Spread batter in an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan.



2. Bake in a 350 degrees oven 25 to 30 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 2 hours on a wore rack. Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting; cut into bars. Makes 48 bars. 116 cal, 8 g total fat

Recipe from Better Homes and Garden's New Cook Book

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/3 cup pure pumpkin

Preparation:

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Combine egg, oil, milk and pumpkin in a small bowl. Stir pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients. Leave to stand for five minutes.

For each pancake, scoop 1/4 cup of batter on to a hot griddle or nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Turn pancakes when bubbles appear and edges are cooked, after about 2 minutes. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes on second side.

Makes 8-10 pancakes.

Per two pancake serving: Calories 226, Calories from fat 46, Total fat 5g, Cholesterol 53 mg, Sodium 414 mg, Carbohydrate 40 g, Fiber 1.6g, Protein 4.9g.

Recipe courtesy of http//www.lowfatcooking.about.com