Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting

 Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting

Yield: one 9x13 pan

Courtesy of Mels

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/pumpkin-bars-cream-cheese-frosting/

3 large eggs

1 ¼ c granulated sugar (265 g) 

¾ c canola oil

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (425 g) 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ c  all-purpose flour (213 g)

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8- oz package cream cheese, softened

4 TB  salted butter, softened

2 c  powdered sugar (228 g)

1 TB  sour cream or plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin and vanilla until well-combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until there are no more lumps.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top of the bars is set and springs back lightly to the touch.

Let the bars cool completely in the pan.

For the frosting-

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a handheld electric mixer, mix together the cream cheese and butter until very smooth and light, 2-3 minutes.

Add the powdered sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip the frosting for 2-3 minutes until very light and fluffy.

Spread the frosting on the cooled bars.

Banana Bread (Mels)

 Banana Bread (Mels)

Yield: 1 loaf

Courtesy of Mels:

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/sour-cream-banana-bread/

1 c granulated sugar (212g) (can reduce to ¾ c if using very ripe bananas)

½ cup oil (or melted butter, can also sub up to 50% with applesauce)

2 eggs

1 c mashed ripe bananas, about 3 ripe bananas (227 g)

½ c sour cream (113 g)

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ c all-purpose flour (213 g) (can use up to 50% whole wheat flour)

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 deg.

Grease and flour a 9X5-inch loaf pan (or several mini loaf pans).

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil. 

Add the eggs, bananas, sour cream and vanilla; blend well.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. 

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool for five minutes in the pan. Gently turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. 

Store covered at room temperature (the bread also freezes great).

Pato Spicy Dip

Pato Dip

yield: about 3-4 cups (one recipe has always been enough)

Janelle W.

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, somewhere between room temp and fridge temp

1 (7.75 oz) can El Pato Mexican tomato sauce

Put both ingredients into a mixer with whisk or paddle attachment and mix until smooth other you have the desired texture. 

Enjoy!

Use to dip:

pretzel bites

crackers

tortilla chips

bread slices

pretzels

pita

Pretty much anything!

Pretzel Bites

 Pretzel Bites

Courtesy of Sally’s Baking addiction

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-pretzel-bites/#tasty-recipes-74980

Yield: 60-70 pretzel bites (I like to double this recipe)

-single recipe makes 2 baking sheets worth

DOUGH

1 ½ c warm water (360ml)

2 ¼ tsp instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet, 7g)

1 TB brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 TB unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool (14g)

3 ¾  – 4 c  all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), (469-500g)

topping: coarse salt/coarse sea salt

BAKING SODA BATH

½ c baking soda (120g)

9 c water

Make the dough: 

Mix warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer (dough hook). Cover yeast mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top (yeast is activated). 

Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups of flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed, then add ¾ cup of flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. (if dough is super sticky add 1 TB flour at a time until it isn’t as sticky (up to 4 TB)

Knead the dough: 

Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 tsp of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. 

-After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. 

Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10-30 minutes and get baking soda bath ready

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats (or greased parchment paper.) 

Shape: 

With a pizza cutter, cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Sprinkle work surface very lightly with flour. Roll each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. If the ropes keep shrinking and stretching the dough becomes difficult, stop what you’re doing, lightly cover all of the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes so the gluten can relax. Then, return to rolling it into ropes. Cut each rope into 1 – 2 inch pieces to make bites. (I like to fit all the cut pieces from 1 recipe on 1 baking sheet for ease of putting them through the baking soda bath)

Baking Soda Bath: 

Mix water and baking soda together in a large sauce pan or fry pan (low sides). Bring to a boil. 

Place 2-10 pretzel bites into the boiling water for a quick 10-15 seconds. (Any longer and your pretzels could take on a metallic taste.) Using a slotted spatula or spoon, lift the pretzel bites out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place bites onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt while they are still wet or leave plain if using cinnamon sugar topping. Repeat baking soda bath with remaining pretzel bites.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

-you can serve with:

Queso

Pato dip

Spinach artichoke dip

Nacho cheese dip

Pizza sauce

Pretty much anything!

(If needed, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked bites for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also refrigerate the dough before shaping. Just shape and allow an extra 30-60 minutes to come to room temp once shaped before baking.)

Cinnamon Sugar option: Bake the pretzel bites completely plain without salt in step 7. As the pretzel bites bake, melt 4 TB unsalted butter. Set aside. Combine ¾ c granulated sugar and 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Set aside. Once the pretzels are done and still warm out of the oven, brush each with melted butter then generously dip into cinnamon sugar. Cinnamon sugar pretzels are best served that day because the melted butter topping causes them to become soggy after a few hours.