Tag: fall baking

Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

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These cookies came about due to my love for my favorite cookie – Oatmeal Raisin Cookies– and I think they may be the ultimate FALL COOKIE!

I wanted to play around with my go-to recipe by adding some apples to it because apples, cinnamon and oats are such a great combo. While I was setting up more baking area and prepping my ingredients, I found a can of pumpkin puree in my pantry and I knew I had to add it to the mix. I have never had an apple-pumpkin baked good, but I knew these two classic fall flavors would make a delicious oatmeal cookie and it did not disappoint.

Pumpkin adds some great nutrients to these cookies like vitamin A, antioxidants, and extra fiber! Since I knew adding the pumpkin would add some extra moisture to these cookies, I decided to cut down the amount of butter in these and they turned out perfect! 

These come together quickly and also go just as fast. You’ll get about 18 cookies in a batch and I originally only baked 9 of them and they were gone in 24 hrs. I like to only bake half the batch and freeze the rest of the dough to have on hand and easily pop in the oven for fresh baked cookies whenever I’m in the mood. 

Freeze and Bake Later
  • To freeze cookie dough, scoop your cookie dough into your desired sized  portions. Line a plate or cookie tray with parchment paper that will fit in your freezer and place the pre-portioned cookie dough scoops on your tray/plate.
  • Freeze your cookie dough for at least an hour. Once they have set/are frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer safe container!
  • By following this step your cookie dough won’t stick together and you’ll be able to pull out individual cookie dough balls!
  • You can bake them straight out the freezer, just add a few minutes to the baking time. You can also let them come to room temperature and bake as directed!

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I hope you give these cookies a chance and add them to your fall baking round up! Let me know what you think! 

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients
  • 1 egg – room temperature 
  • ¼ butter – room temperature
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree (not sweetened)
  • 1 tsp vanilla 
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • 1 tbsp molasses

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cup rolled oats
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour 
  • 2 tsp cornstarch 
  • 1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp pumpkin spice
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 scoop of vanilla/cinnamon protein powder (optional)

Mix-ins 

  • ½ cup chopped apples
  • ⅓ cup raisins
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Peel and cut your apple. You want your apple pieces to be about the size of a raisin. If the apple pieces are too big they may release too much liquid/moisture into your cookies.
  3. Cream together your butter, brown sugar and white sugar.
  4. Add in your egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla and continue mixing until it comes together.
  5. In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients together: oats, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and salt. If you are adding in protein powder mix it in as well.
  6. Add in your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
  7. Gently fold in your apples, raisins, and walnuts.
  8. Let your dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  9. Scoop your cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet. I like making scoops about 1 ½- 2 tbsp big. Gently press down on the dough with the back of your scoop/spoon.
  10. These cookies will not spread a lot so you do not need a lot of space in between.
  11. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until just golden brown. Since they are a big orange because of the pumpkin, you can check the bottom of the cookies to see if they are a golden brown.
  12. Let cool for 5 – 10 minutes on a cooling rack and enjoy! Store in an air-tight container for up to four days or you can freeze part of your cookie dough for later!

Vegan [ Cranberry Pecan ] Banana Bread

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Banana bread has been on repeat lately, I love how versatile it can be when it comes to what you mix into it and how it can come together with minimal ingredients and falls into the realm of healthy baking. I was going to do make my classic cinnamon swirl banana bread when it suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t have a vegan banana bread up on the blog yet. Although I am not vegan ( I do keep a vegetarian diet) I find myself drawn to lots of vegan baked goods and have baked up a lot of vegan treats, I’m just not the best at keeping track of what I do in the kitchen … well until now!

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So I decided to do some experimenting and bake up a vegan banana bread and for a fun twist I wanted to add in some cranberries and pecans – perfect for the upcoming season.. F A L L – I see you around the corner. However, this can be enjoyed without the pecans/cranberries or they can be switched out for chocolate chips, walnuts, even some blueberries!

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This cup calls for two cups of flour. I made this loaf with both all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I love the slight nuttiness that comes with using whole wheat flour however sometimes when using just whole wheat flour baked goods can come out too dense so I cut it half all purpose flour. You can also just use all purpose flour if you’d like. I haven’t tested out gluten free flours but will update this post once I have. Whichever flour you use, make sure to measure out your flour correctly, not doing so can drastically change your bread’s texture!

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How to Measure Flour

  1. Grab your measuring cup and a spoon. 
  2. Gently scoop your flour with a spoon into your measuring cup. 
  3. Once filled to the top, level off any excess flour over your flour bag with a flat edge like a knife.  
  4. Following these steps, rather than scooping the flour out of the big directly with your measuring cup will ensure you are not over-packing your flour. Over-packing it would result in much more flour than what is needed. 

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 4 medium bananas – super ripe
  • ½ cup brown sugar 
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted 
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp almond milk 
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp ground flax/flax meal 

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt 

Add-ins 

  • ¼ cup crushed pecans
  • ¼ cup cranberries 

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. I love using this parchment paper for all my baking, Thrive Market has a great deal on it! 
  2. In a mixing bowl, mash your bananas well. Then add in the following ingredients: brown sugar, coconut oil, almond milk, and vanilla. After all the ingredients are well incorporated, add in your flax meal and give it a good stir. 
  3. In a separate bowl combine your dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make sure you measure your flour correctly as outlined above!
  4. Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix, you just want to make sure the flour is incorporated. Your batter will likely be thicker than other banana bread batters. 
  5. Fold in your cranberries and pecans. Feel free to swap them out for other nuts of chocolate chips, but again, don’t over mix!
  6. Pour your batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. After the baking time, check the loaf with a toothpick and if it comes out clean after inserting it is all done. 
  7. Let your loaf cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
  8. Store in an airtight container. You can also pre-slice your loaf and freeze some slices for another time! Simply defrost and warm it up in your microwave for 30 – 60 seconds.