Pumpkin Patch Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Pumpkin Patch Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Cook Time: 25 Minutes  Difficulty: Easy

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice! It's Fall, and what better way to celebrate the season than to jump on the pumpkin "haywagon!" I would be remiss if I didn't share this delicious muffin recipe with you. These moist pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are the best we've ever had! Period. The secret ingredient? Apple Butter!

Our daughter made this recipe in her Family Consumer Science Class (that's fancy for Home Ec-ok I'm dating myself), and yesterday being one of those dreary, rainy days, was the perfect time to make something together.

In one of those rare teenage moments, our 13-year-old daughter was in the mood for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins yesterday and wanted to make them with me! (I was cool again, so I jumped at the opportunity:) I suggested we cut out the oil and try her recipe with apple butter! It worked! These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins were super moist with the perfect balance of fall spice and everything nice (like my daughter;).

You need to add this recipe to your favorite Fall recipes. You will not be disappointed, but grab one for yourself, as they will disappear right before your eyes! This recipe would also make a fantastic pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Happy baking!

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin

• 1/2 cup Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cups sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 2/3 cups flour (we have also tested this recipe with King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour with great results)

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) salt

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) ground cloves

• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread, sugar, water, and eggs.  Beat until well mixed.  Set aside.  

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cloves.

Slowly add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spoon the batter into a 12 cup muffin tin, lined with paper baking cups.

Bake the muffins for 25 minutes or until muffins are cooked.  Insert a toothpick and if the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done!  Cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve them plain, buttered or with cream cheese.  Serve warm.  Enjoy!
Yield: 12 muffins

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Pumpkin Patch Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes Recipe

Cook Time:  15 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

There is nothing that says "Good Morning" better than hot, fluffy, buttermilk pancakes made from scratch!  Do not let the words, "from scratch," intimidate you, for making homemade pancakes versus those from a box (even Strawberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes) is actually very simple.

For years, Bisquick was my go-to pancake mix until my dear friend, Stacy, shared her homemade recipe with me.  I have followed it ever since, but have mixed it up over the years by adding berries, chocolate chips, or "whatever" (something I am known for in my family).  This time, I sat on the edge of my seat awaiting the family's reaction, because when they weren't looking, I added Cherchies® Strawberry Butter and chocolate chips to the batter! As suspected, our kiddos were skeptical when they sat down to eat (Oh no! They spied the pinkish hue of the pancakes...!), but despite the contorted faces, they tried them anyway, and loved them!    

Once you make these deliciously fluffy, fruity pancakes from scratch, you'll wonder why you didn't make them that way sooner. 

Comment below and let us know if you made these delicious pancakes.

From our kitchen to yours, thank you for visiting. Please come back again.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup Cherchies® Strawberry Butter Spread (or Cherchies® Cherry Butter or Apple Butter Spreads)

• 1 heaping teaspoon (tsp) baking powder

• 1 Teaspoon (tsp) baking soda

• a pinch of salt

• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk*

• 1/4 cup oil

• 2 teaspoons (tsp) vanilla

• 1-2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Orange juice

• 1 cup of Chocolate Chips

Preparation

*Note:  Butter tends to burn, so I find it best to use oil to grease the griddle or pan.

Preheat a griddle or cast iron pan to medium.  Lightly oil the griddle or pan.  In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, until just combined.  Don't over mix.  

Add 1/4 cup of pancake batter to the griddle, and sprinkle the pancakes with the chocolate chips.  Our kiddos like to make faces with the chocolate chips when they make their own pancakes:)  Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles appear on top of the pancakes.  

Serve with our Fruit Salad for a satisfying breakfast, brunch, or yes, dinner:)  Enjoy!

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Applesauce Parfait Recipe

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Applesauce Parfait Recipe

Cook Time:  30 minutes 

Difficulty:  Easy

Parfaits are fun, easy, and an ideal start to any day.  Recently, I had a plethora of apples that had to be used, so I went apple crazy and got creative (I hate wasting food).

I started by making a huge batch of chunky applesauce (my family's favorite), then I moved onto tarts (apple, cherry-apple, and strawberry-apple), and still had enough applesauce to create parfaits for my kiddos when they came home from school.  

My suggestion, make the applesauce and the granola ahead, say for dinner the night before, and use the leftover applesauce in the morning or afternoon for a quick and easy parfait. Easy peasy and delicious!

Ingredients

• Leftover Homemade applesauce (You certainly can use store bought chunky applesauce, but homemade is so much better)
• *Granola (recipe for homemade granola below)
• Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Granola Recipe

• 3 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cinnamon
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 2 teaspoon (tsp) oil (we used coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup honey

Mix everything together in a medium bowl.  Follow cooking directions above.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line a baking or jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spread the granola* mixture onto the baking sheet.  Cook granola* at 250 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. When granola is finished cooking, remove from oven and gently stir the granola.  Set aside to cool.  When granola is completely cooled (about 15 minutes), either place it into a re-sealable container for later, or use immediately and assemble the parfaits.  I usually make a batch while I'm cooking dinner, so it's ready for our kiddos the next morning.  It's really easy!

Now it's time to assemble the parfaits.  I happened to have these cute dessert glasses I purchased several years ago, but simple mason jars or any glass would be just as perfect.

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I like crunch in every layer, so my suggestion would be to spoon some granola (there's really no need to measure) into the bottom of the glass.  Next, add the greek yogurt, then the applesauce...

And repeat:)

Voila!  Apple Cinnamon Parfaits!  Your tastebuds will thank you!  Enjoy!

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Homemade Toaster Strudel Recipe

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Homemade Toaster Strudel Recipe

Cook Time:  30 minutes  Difficulty:  Easy

I love aha moments, don't you? Take, for example, toaster strudels. Who would have thought these delectable treats could be homemade? I was shocked! I usually provide healthier homemade breakfast and snack options for our children instead of their store-bought, processed cousins. Still, occasionally I have been known to buy the packaged toaster strudels so our children would not feel deprived. I would hate to be blamed later in life for ruining their lives because they never had Pillsbury toaster strudels. I couldn't live with myself;)

My aha moment came one morning while I was enjoying my coffee in peace and researching uses for leftover cherry butter (cherries cooked down to a butter-like consistency).  If you have been following our blog, you'll know I hate to waste food, and I love transforming leftovers into new culinary masterpieces. I also love making things homemade (or semi-homemade).

Making homemade toaster strudels had never occurred to me until I stumbled upon a picture on the internet, homemade toaster strudels made from preserves and phyllo dough. Aha!!! Except, I didn't have preserves or phyllo dough. Bummer! However, I did have Cherchies Cherry Butter and a can of Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough in our refrigerator! Could it be true? Well, it was worth a shot. 

Luckily my tasty homemade (or semi-homemade) experiment was a success. These delicious flaky pastries, oozing with fruity goodness, won our children's approval; they preferred my version over the store-bought version. Whew! What a relief. Now I won't be blamed for my children's deprivation of never having toaster strudels, let alone homemade toaster strudels.

This recipe is perfect with any of our Butter Spreads or mouth-watering preserves (Add 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch to the preserves to thicken the mixture).

Follow along for the full directions. Enjoy!

 Ingredients

• 2 packages reduced-fat canned crescent rolls (seamless worked great)

• 8 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Apple Butter, Cherchies® Cherry Butter, or Cherchies® Strawberry Butter Spreads (or one of each:) (You could also substitute Cherchies® Blackberry Preserves mixed with 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch)

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 Tablespoon milk

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) vanilla

Preparation 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust the parchment paper with a tiny bit of flour (1 Tbsp?).  Roll out the packaged crescent dough on the parchment paper, and press the seams of the two crescent rolls together.  With a pizza cutter or knife, cut four even vertical sections of the dough.

Next, cut the dough in the other direction as pictured below.

Spoon 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) of Cherchies® Cherry, Strawberry, or Apple Butter Spread onto the pastry, leaving about 1/2 inch border.  In a small bowl, beat egg.

Using your finger (you could use a pastry brush, but why?  It's fun to play with your food), dip your finger into the egg and coat the perimeter of the pastry with the egg.  Continue this process for the rest of the pastries.

Take the other half of the pastry and gently place it over the filling half.  Use a fork to seal the edges of the pastry.

Brush egg onto sealed pastries. and prick each pastry a couple of times with a fork.  This will allow some of the steam to escape during cooking.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until pastries are golden brown. While toaster strudels are baking, make the icing.

Using a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Fill icing into a small re-closable plastic bag and snip off the corner of the bag.  This will become your disposable icing bag.  Remove pastries from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  Drizzle the pastries with the icing.  

Sweet, fruity, delicious, homemade toaster strudels!  Perfecto!  Enjoy!

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