Hey again guys! So is anyone else feeling a bit behind on their holiday baking?
I’m so excited that the holidays are finally here but this year is definitely bringing a lot of new aspects to my past years of blogging during the holidays. As you guys know I’ve been in Europe recently and I must say it took me longer than I thought it would to get over the jetlag of traveling overseas but it was so worth it. I’m working on a post Lisbon (maybe 2) that I’ll be sharing soon.
I’ve gotta tell you, it’s still strange for me being back in the States and where blogging is concerned it’s actually been a tiny bit challenging which I guess seems counterintuitive. Let me try to explain. You see, I started this little food blog while living in Chile and back then I had a daily routine of cooking a lot, plus there weren’t a lot of things available for easy meals or eating out at restaurants serving every type of cuisine.
Now it’s just so easy to order a pizza or shortcut meals that, not gonna lie, I’m a bit less motivated to cook. Hey, I’m not complaining. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a Costco 5 minutes away and to have access to pretty much every ingredient I could ever want right here in my town. It’s just that through the Summer my family and I were really enjoying a little more convenience. Plus, I also spent the warm months enjoying the change in scenery and the amazing weather so I spent less time in the kitchen.
Oh, and did I tell you guys that while I was away my new baby niece arrived??? Yes, I was so sad to not make it home in time but everything worked out alright and when I got home the gang was saying how much they’ve been missing good quality homemade food. Convenient is nice but nothing beats real food from scratch, you know? The good news is that the holidays are always a time to get me inspired to get back in the kitchen and I think I’m catching the baking bug again. We’ve already started on our decorations but this year is different because we’re having to acquire them as we go so it’s a work in progress.
So I got this cutest ever little mini loaf pan recently but hadn’t made use of it yet so I decided I should pull it out and get baking. These pumpkin loaves are adapted from a favorite family recipe for pumpkin bread but I wanted to try adding in some of these pumpkin spice baking chips.
In all honesty, I may or may not use them again as not everyone was a fan, but they just looked so colorful in the photos I decided to leave them. You can use just about any type of baking chips or nuts as mix-ins here, regular chocolate chips, white chocolate, or even butterscotch. It’s up to you so get creative and go do some baking because, baby it’s cold outside!
Oh, and if you’re looking for the pan I used
Wanna make your house smell like the holidays? Bake these cute little loaf cakes and add in whatever mix-ins you and your family like. They make great gifts too!
Ingredients
-
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 cups flour
-
- 1-2 cups pumpkin spice baking chips, pecans, or semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a Mini loaf pan
- Whisk the brown sugar with the melted butter and oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, soda, salt, and spices and stir well until combined.
- Stir in the flour and add the baking chips or nuts that you want ( reserve some for sprinkling on top.)
- Divide the batter among the slit in the pan and sprinkle the tops with the extra toppings.
- Bake for 22 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and place on a cooling rack to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing the cakes from pan.
- For the glaze (if using), whisk the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl until smooth and drizzle over finished cakes. Enjoy!
Notes
