Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread.

Well. Happy December! Despite what my Pinterest creations are telling me to bake this month, I am still using up my cans of pumpkin. And this morning I found the perfect recipe combining pumpkin spices with the sweetness of cream cheese. The best part of all? I did not need to buy any additional ingredients, nor did I run out of anything. I love having a kitchen full of goodies.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Cream Cheese Topping:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract
(side note: I always use real extract, yes it's a bit more expensive, but necessary)

Pumpkin Bread:

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 cloves

(I love pumpkin spices so I used a pinch more than what's called for)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one large loaf pan (or use mini loafs and reduce baking time -

I prefer large slices of bread you can enjoy with a cup of tea)

2. Beat all ingredients of the cream cheese topping together until smooth and creamy

3. Mix brown sugar and eggs together then add remaining wet ingredients (pumpkin, oil, vanilla)

4. Whisk dry ingredients together and add gradually to wet ingredients

5. Pour pumpkin bread batter into loaf pan, level with a spatula

6. Pour cream cheese batter on top, level and smooth with a spatula

7. Bake for 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cream cheese topping has cracked to perfection! (Bake less if using mini loaves)

8. Enjoy the bread while warm with a cup of tea.

#perfect

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Pumpkin, Dark Chocolate, Granola Muffins.

These muffins are delicious. And I like to think nutritious. (Just go with it.) The perfect cloudy, chilly day to bake brought this recipe into my hands. And now this recipe will never, ever be leaving my life. Enjoy!

This is how every kitchen should look when baking. I love setting out all my ingredients first so I don't have to open up the cupboard every five seconds. Plus, I feel like Rachel Ray when she grabs every ingredient needed and balances them all in her arms until she sets them on the counter. What a challenge. I cannot wait to have my own cute kitchen someday, with lots of canisters and ingredients galore! 

The batter in the final stages all whipped up! First whisk the dry ingredients together, followed by adding the wet ingredients (in this case brown sugar is considered a wet ingredient) then the granola and chocolate chips.

All ready to be baked! I chose to use the GIANT muffin pan I have. This way I feel like I just went to a coffee shop and indulged in a huge, yummy looking muffin instead of a tiny regular one that I would eat two of anyway! Plus, this recipe made exactly six giant muffins with lots of granola crumble for the tops!

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