Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones...

I love scones…to me, they are like a cross between a muffin and a cookie…they are truly a delectable culinary creation. I tasted my first scone over five years ago at Panera Bread. I ordered it on a whim to accompany a cup of hot tea. The scone was orange flavored and was topped with a lovely glaze. Needless to say I was smitten with them for about a minute...my short lived love affair with this delicious mid-afternoon “snack” ended ubruptly when I realized it was packing almost 500 calories and 20 grams of fat!

Once I started my blog, I had every intention of trying to make scones at home, but never got around to it. My perfectionist self also thought I needed a fancy schmancy pan to create nice, perfectly uniform, triangular scones. Then a few weeks ago I was watching Chef Ann Burrell on her Food Network show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. I am not a huge fan of this show, but will watch it from time to time. However, her Cherry Almond Scones piqued my interest because she demonstrated how to form the scone dough and cut it into triangles. After watching the episode, I hit up the web in search of a scone recipe that would be perfect for fall. I came across several recipes through yahoo, but ended up settling on a Starbucks Pumpkin Scones copycat recipe. Of course I tweaked the recipe because I apparently cannot leave well enough alone. I did add mini cinnamon chips to the dough which was a scrumptious decision. The end result was terrifically spiced scones full of fall flavors. The texture was amazing and the glaze put them over the top. Do these compare to the Starbucks scones? I honestly have no idea, but I will definitely be trying one to compare the next time I venture into a Starbucks. This recipe definitely ranks up in my top 3 fall favorites and I will certainly be making them again in the very near future. These were so good I ate one for dinner…I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Have a great day and thanks so much for visiting!

Looking for more fall recipes? Click here for more of my fall favorites and stay tuned this weekend for a yummy Apple Cinnamon Chip Bundt Cake!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones
adapted from: recipezaar

Ingredients
Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 large egg
1/2 cup mini cinnamon chips

Powderered Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions
to make the scones
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, vanilla paste and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix in mini cinnamon chips. Form the dough into a ball.
4. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into an 8-inch circle and about 1 inch thick. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 8 equal triangular portions. Place on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

to make the plain glaze
-Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
-When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.

as the plain glaze firms up, make the spiced glaze
-Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins...

I figured I would take a brief break from my pumpkin extravaganza and bake with another fall favorite...apples! I came across this recipe on allrecipes...the crumb topping is what sold me...I have yet to meet someone that is not smitten with a crumb topping! I decided to tweak this recipe a tad by adding in some applesauce and throwing in mini cinnamon chips. If you missed my post about these lovely cinnamon morsels, you can read it here or head directly to The Prepared Pantry site to order them. These muffins baked up nicely and were super moist, the mini chips added a nice burst of cinnamon flavor, plus they added those beautiful flecks of color to the muffin. These moist apple cinnamon muffins would be a delectable breakfast or mid afternoon snack...and they were perfect with a cup of tea! Speaking of muffins...I just purchased a extra large muffin tin and liners from amazon, if you have any muffin recipes that yield a big, moist, bakery style muffin, send them my way by leaving a comment on this post, via email at mybakingaddiction{at}gmail.com or through twitter by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by, have a fabulous fall day!


Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
1/2 cup miniature cinnamon chips

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Method
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla and applesauce. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Happy Halloween...Candy Corn Cheesecake

Happy Halloween...if you frequent my blog or follow me on Twitter, you may remember me saying that I am not a huge fan of the spooky side of October 31st. I am a BIG baby when it comes to horror movies and haunted houses; instead I choose to celebrate fright night with a super cute dessert. I came across this recipe while browsing the Hershey's website and I knew it would be perfect for Halloween because my candy dish was already overflowing with Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses. Plus I was absolutely smitten with it's candy corn-esque layered effect!!! I used these kisses in a previous post for Pumpkin Maple Chip Cupcakes and received quite a few emails and comments asking where I purchased these adorable orange, yellow and white striped candies. I picked them from Target earlier in the month, but have seen them at other places as well. The crust of this cheesecake it absolutely delicious...it maintained a nice crunchy texture. The filling was not my favorite, cheesecake texture...it seemed a little off and not as creamy as I like my cheesecakes to be. If I make this again, I will definitely play with the cheesecake portion of this recipe.

If you can't find the Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses in your area, simply dye the batter of your favorite cheesecake recipe orange and top with candy corn! Thanks so much for stopping by...have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Candy Corn Cheesecake
from: Hershey's

Ingredients
3/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs(about 20 cookies)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter or margarine
12 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Corn Flavored Candies
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
Additional HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Corn Flavored Candies, unwrapped

Method
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 8-inch square pan with foil, extending foil beyond sides of pan. Stir together vanilla wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.
2. Remove wrappers from 12 candies; place in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until candies are melted and smooth when stirred. Beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until blended. Beat in eggs, milk, remaining 2 tablespoons flour, vanilla and baking powder. Gradually beat about 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture into melted candy; beat this mixture into remaining cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until center is set. Cool to room temperature. Spread whipped topping over surface. Cover; refrigerate several hours or overnight. To serve, lift dessert from pan using foil. Peel back foil, cut into squares. Serve each square garnished with candy piece. 12 to 16 servings.

Notes: I used (3) 4 inch springform pans instead of the 8x8 inch pan. These baked for 17 minutes until the center was set. I also added a tiny bit of orange gel food coloring to slightly intensify the shade of orange.

Pretty In Pink...

The month of October seems to be exiting as quickly as it entered. Since autumn is definitely my favorite season here in Ohio, it saddens me to see the gorgeous leaves hitting the ground and the temperature rapidly descending. The month of October is not just about the turning leaves, the warm sweaters, and the pumpkin baked goods. October is about something much bigger than those things. It’s the spreading of awareness about a disease that has probably impacted each and every one of us in one way or another.

For me, breast cancer is the disease that took my grandmother away thirteen years ago. It’s a disease that I fear...a disease I hope to never fight.

Remember early detection is key...schedule your yearly breast exam!

Looking to make a difference? Check out the Susan G. Komen for the Cure site to find out how to contribute to Breast Cancer Awareness.

For Cupcake Bites, click here.
For the Breast Cancer Awareness Sprinkles, click here...seriously, how cute are they?
Sugar Cookies
from allrecipes

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Method
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Sugar Cookie Icing can be found on the Hungry Housewife's blog...I like it...I like it a lot! Check out Leslie's post, she has some fabulous tips for sugar cookies!

Pumpkin Maple Chip Cupcakes...

Confession...I get slightly obsessed with random stuff quite easily...for example cinnamon baking chips. I have used the Hershey's brand in the past, but for some reason I could not find them at my local market. I then checked every single market within a 15 mile radius of my home and even enlisted help from Bri and my good friend, Jo. Needless to say we all ended up empty handed. I am ashamed to admit it, but I also contacted Hershey's...pretty lame, but I wanted those damn cinnamon chips! They told me to check my local Meijer, so I checked and Jo re-checked...still not a bag in sight. I then gave in and hit up the internet, my google search led me to a cute little baking site called The Prepared Pantry. They had mini cinnamon chips AND mini maple chips! The mere thought of mini maple chips sent me over the edge and I immediately placed an order and Bri and Jo breathed a sigh of relief!

My package was on my doorstep within a few days...immediately my brain was in overdrive thinking about what deliciously addictive dessert I would bake first. My first thought was cupcakes and my second thought was of course...pumpkin {shocking, I know}! Another google search led me to a recipe on the lovely Smitten Kitchen's site for Pumpkin Cupcakes and I had my game plan...Pumpkin Maple Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Seriously how could this combination be a bad thing? Well, my friends, it was a very good thing...a deliciously pumpkin-y, maple-y good thing! I will definitely be making these again and I am now on the hunt for more recipes to toss these little maple gems into! If you have any delicious recipes for these maple chips, send them my way via Twitter or email them to mybakingaddiction{at}gmail{dot}com! Thanks for stopping by, have a deliciously addictive week!

Pumpkin Maple Chip Cupcakes
Adapted from David Leite & Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 17 to 18 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

2/3 cup Mini Maple Chips (I bet cinnamon chips work just great, if ya can find them!)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners.
2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and salt into a medium bowl.
3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth and fold in the mini maple chips. Scoop the batter among the cupcake liners — you’re looking to get them 3/4 full. Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
2 (8) ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter; softened
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used Beanilla's Vanilla Bean Paste)

Method
In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread...

Yes, my friends another pumpkin recipe...I forewarned everyone that my blog is going to be "chock full" of pumpkin in my pumpkin biscotti post. Well, actually there was an initial typo in that description....let's just say I left out the "h" in chock. Ya catch my drift? However, one of my lovely readers, Lizzy from the blog Lizzy Goes Dutch informed me of this error, so I promptly fixed it in fear of random google hits from odd searches! But all is now well...thanks to Lizzy!

As you know I am on a pumpkin kick and this bread caught my attention while searching all allrecipes for...you guessed it, pumpkin! This recipe is really simple to throw together and makes your house smell utterly amazing, plus it has chocolate! The other bonus is that the bread stays moist for days in a air tight container and freezes perfectly well! If I haven't got you craving pumpkin yet, try this recipe and I guarantee it will foster a pumpkin addiction! Need another pumpkin fix? Check out my fall favorites, by clicking here! Thanks so much for stopping by...have a deliciously addictive day!


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients
3 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans. (I used 2 9x5 loaf pans and 4 mini pans)
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, vanilla and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans.

Pumpkin Pie Biscotti...

If you follow me on Twitter, you may know that I am slightly obsessed with all things pumpkin right now. It's an addiction of sorts that hits me mid October and lasts until around Christmas. You should definitely brace yourselves for a serious pumpkin extravaganza on My Baking Addiction. No worries if you are a pumpkin hater, I will also be showcasing many other desserts that do not include pumpkin! My blog will be chock full of apples, caramel, chocolate and spice, so please check back often! I don't know where the pumpkin addiction came from, in fact as a kid I hated the stuff. I remember taking a slice of my Nana's pumpkin pie during the holidays simply to appease her. I would smother it in Cool Whip, eat all the whipped topping off, then nonchalantly make my way to the kitchen can to chuck the piece of pie into the trash when no one was looking. Now as an adult, there is something about the aroma of pumpkin baked goods wafting through my home that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

I bookmarked this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Biscotti about a month ago in preparation for my pumpkin fever. This biscotti comes together very easily and has great pumpkin pie flavor...my only issue is, they were not as crunchy as I would like them to be. The outsides definitely had a high level of crunch, but the middle was slightly chewy, not a bad chewy, just, well a little chewy. I may try making these again, but subbing out some of the brown sugar for white and maybe baking a tad longer. All in all this was a tasty recipe, just not the texture I was trying to achieve. Thanks so much for stopping by, stay warm, stay healthy and stay happy!

Pumpkin Biscotti
adapted from Cooking in an Apron

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla paste (1 TBS vanilla extract will work fine)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/4 cup nuts, coarsely chopped (I used pecans)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl; stir well. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla, stirring well with a wire whisk. Slowly add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Mixture will be very crumbly; it will gradually become moist after stirring.)
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts are browned. Remove from heat and cool completely.
4. Knead or gently stir cooled nuts into dough. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 portions. Lightly flour hands and shape each portion into a 2 x 10" long log. Place logs 3" apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 24 minutes; cool logs 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F.
5. After some cooling, move a loaf to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2" thick pieces. Do the same to the other loaf. The interior of each biscotto should still be just a little moist (while the exterior is nice and hard). The crust of the loaf will probably be quite hard, so use a large serrated knife such as a bread knife for this job.
6. Place the biscotti with a cut side facing up on a half sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan and flip all the biscotti over so the other cut side is now facing up. Bake for another 7 minutes. Set all the pieces on a wire rack to cool making sure that none of the biscotti are touching each other. If the biscotti are placed too close together, they could get a little soft or soggy as they cool.
7. Once the biscotti have fully cooled, they can be consumed as is, or white chocolate dipped. I opted for a simple white chocolate drizzle. I just melted some white chocolate chips, placed the melted chocolate in a zip top bag, cut a small opening in one corner and drizzled it across the biscotti.

The biscotti tastes best during the first few days, but will keep for up to a month in a sealed air-tight container.