Tag: #PumpkinSpice

Easy Vegan Pumpkin Spice Granola

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Fall officially started two days ago.  Temperatures in most of the United States (not here in Southern California, of course) have begun dropping and falling leaves are all over the ground with colors ranging from light green to yellow, orange, red and brown.  But to a very large, very loyal, bordering on fanatical. portion of society, MOST importantly it’s #PumpkinSpice everything season.

In keeping with the season, and my requirement that as many of the recipes I share be quick, easy & don’t require ingredients I can’t find at my local grocery stores, enjoy this granola recipe, found on Blissful Basil, that also fulfills a category I don’t usually include: it’s vegan!

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Granola ClustersSuper-Clustery-Pumpkin-Spice-Granola-1691

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats*
  • 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 3/4 cup raw shelled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 cup raw pecan halves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup creamy unsalted almond butter
  • 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  1. Preheat oven to 275F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Add the rolled oats, coconut flakes, pepitas, and pecans to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
  3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the maple syrup, almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, and sea salt over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and glossy. Pour over the oat mixture and stir very thoroughly to combine (you want every last bit of the dry mixture to be evenly coated).
  4. Turn the mixture out onto the lined baking tray and use a fork to gently nudge it across the pan, spreading it into an even layer that’s just shy of 1/2 inch thick. It’s okay if there are gaps or holes between clumps of granola.
  5. Bake for 38 to 48 minutes, or until the top is light golden-brown, the granola near the edges of the pan is just beginning to turn deep golden-brown, and the granola feels dry and firm but not yet crisp to the touch. (Note: I recommend keeping a watchful eye on it and checking it a few times as it bakes. Granola doesn’t become crisp and crunchy until it’s had a chance to cool, so rely on look and scent more than touch or you’ll end up with burnt granola.)
  6. Once the granola is ready, remove the pan from the oven and place it on an oven-safe cooling rack to allow air to circulate beneath and around the pan to efficiently cool and crisp the granola.
  7. Allow the granola to cool completely on the pan until it’s not even the slightest bit warm to the touch. If you start moving it around or try to break it into clusters while it’s still warm, it will crumble. I recommend a minimum 45 minutes of cool time at room temperature, but try to hold out for 1 hour if you can.
  8. Once the granola is completely cool, break it into pieces of desired size and store in large airtight glass jars to maintain its crunch.

This granola can be enjoyed many ways:

  • Crumble over plain or vanilla yogurt
  • Drop chunks over ice cream (my guilty pleasure)
  • Pile in a bowl, top with berries and/or some bananas and milk for breakfast; or
  • Eat the clusters straight from the jar

You can’t go wrong, no matter how you enjoy these.  #ThisGirlLovesToEat

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

pumpkin-cupcakes-with-cinnamon-cream-cheese-frostingIt may not feel like it, but fall really is right around the corner.  When the weekends bring football, the days of sunlight begin to shorten and there’s a barest hint of a chill to the morning air, so too comes the annual assault of all things pumpkin spice.

Good Housekeeping got ahead of the 2018 #PumpkinSpice season with this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with a decadent cream cheese frosting, and I, for one, am not content to wait until the leaves start changing to bake a batch of these babies up. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Jumbo Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

  • 1+1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
  • 1+1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Cup pure pumpkin puree
  • 2 TBLS molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 Cup (1 Stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 Cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, molasses and vanilla.
  3. In large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in eggs, one at a time. Then alternately add flour and pumpkin mixture, beating until just combined.
  4. Divide batter among muffin-pan cups (heaping 1/4 cup each) and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; let cool 5 minutes before removing cupcakes from pan to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 TBLS butter, at room temperature
  • 2 Cups confectioner’s (Powdered) sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (if desired)
  1. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon (if using), and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
  2. To serve, frost cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Makes 12 Jumbo Cupcakes.  Store any uneaten cupcakes in the refrigerator.