Pumpkin!

Every Fall, I invariably gain a few pounds. The reason? PUMPKIN. I'm obsessed with almost all things pumpkin (except pumpkin soup - not a soup fan in general, only when I'm sick) and I take advantage of every opportunity to bake with pumpkin. And every trip to Wegmans demands the purchasing and eating in the parking lot a pumpkin doughnut with maple frosting.



A few years ago, when Sunny, Rebecca and I were roommates at Tech, I found a pumpkin cookie recipe that has became my go-to fall cookie. We would eat them by the bag full - right out of the freezer. And they are super easy to make:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin
1 teas milk
1 teas vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1 1/2 teas cinnamon
(for spicy cookies add: 1 teas ginger, nutmeg, and cloves)

1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips (thank you Tammi for this correction! How could I forget the chocolate?!?!)

Grease pan, 375 for 10 minutes

After Josh and I got married and Danielle and I had some awesome baking adventures together, I confessed my secret desire to make a pumpkin roll - but I was too afraid to try. Bravely one Sunday we tried - and succeed in making a pumpkin roll. Last year I lost count of how many pumpkin rolls I made.  And they are so easy - check out the recipe here. Naturally, I double the cinnamon, and add ginger and nutmeg.

Just last week I discovered Pumpkin roll pancakes. Since I don't want to lose much of the weight loss progress I've made, I haven't made the cream cheese spread that goes with these babies. But they are delicious all on their own (extra spices, of course). It makes a huge stack of 15 or so, and since Josh won't eat them, I heat up 2 or 3 for breakfast each morning. I ate the last of my first batch this morning, when I thought I had to go into work (then found out I got to stay at home! Yippee!) and then tonight, I made another batch for dinner. We are in the middle of Frankenstorm, don't judge :)

And finally, a recipe I'm dying to try is pumpkin whoopie pies!! Doesn't that sound amazing? I'll let you know how it goes - or let me know your favorite pumpkin recipe!