Pumpkin Maple Granola

November 4, 2013 by 35 Comments

Pumpkin Maple Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

It’s tempting to say “Winter is coming” in a very ominous voice. However, that would be a false statement due to the fact that Winter arrived the night before last in a flurry of wet snow and chilly wind. And just like that, it is Winter. Boom.

Pumpkin Maple Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

Pumpkin Maple Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

Seasons are funny, because we associate different things – and certainly, in my case, food – with each one. For example, when Fall arrived, I was so excited to bake with pumpkin and apples and cinnamon. And now that the first dump of the white stuff has fallen, I’m like “Peace out pumpkin, bring on the hot chocolate and candy canes!”

And the parkas, mitts, toques, and snow shovels.

Pumpkin Maple Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

However, it would be wrong to bid adieu to Fall without sharing one last pumpkin recipe with you. I was set on creating the perfect pumpkin granola recipe this year, and after several failed attempts, I think I finally found a winner. Packed with pumpkin, spices, and a few extras – pecans, pepitas, and dried cranberries – this granola makes a perfect breakfast or snack. Or an excellent consolation prize for embarking on the 6-month long, dark, and freakishly cold and snowy adventure that is an Alberta Winter. Happy Monday, friends!

Pumpkin Maple Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

Pumpkin Maple Granola

This granola combines the delicious fall flavors of pumpkin and maple. Lightly sweetened and generously spiced, it makes a great breakfast when sprinkled over yogurt and fruit, or swimming in milk. You might also be tempted to eat it by the hand full. Makes about 6 cups. 

4 cups oats

2/3 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup pepitas

½ cup shredded coconut

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ginger

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. cloves

¼ tsp. allspice

¼ cup ground flax seeds

¼ cup raw cane sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

3/4 cup pure pumpkin

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, combine the oats through to the ground flax seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the raw cane sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, and olive oil. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Spread the granola onto a large baking sheet that has been lined with either parchment paper or a Silpat. Bake for 15 minutes. Add the cranberries and stir, and then return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Stir and continue baking for 10 minute intervals until golden brown and no longer moist. (Mine took about 35 minutes total).

Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy with milk or yogurt.

Pumpkin Maple Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

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Whole Wheat Pumpkin and Cinnamon Chip Scones

October 21, 2013 by 40 Comments

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones | Once Upon a Recipe

Please be warned: I am about to shove at least a couple of pumpkin recipes in your face in the coming weeks.

‘Tis the season! Fall is in full bloom, yo! The colors, the crisp days, the pumpkin beer, the boots, the scarves, the pumpkin everything, even that dank, disgusting, wet leaves smell – I. Love. It. If only it could last forever. All in favor of replacing Winter with an extra-lengthy Fall, say I.

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones | Once Upon a Recipe

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones | Once Upon a Recipe   Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones | Once Upon a Recipe

So, if you’re not too sick of pumpkin yet (and I really hope you aren’t), let’s bake some pumpkin scones! Truth be told, I have never partaken in the delight that is a Starbucks pumpkin scone. Every year, many peoples be freaking out about the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin scones. But I can guarantee that you can make a far more delicious version of both at home.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones | Once Upon a Recipe

Let’s start with the scones! We’re going to add a little health with some whole wheat flour, and we’re going to punch up the flavor with a hefty dose of spice and cinnamon chips. A generous sprinkling of raw cane sugar adds a lovely crunch to the tops of these scones. One of these little diddies alongside a cup of coffee or tea and you’re living the good Fall life!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones | Once Upon a Recipe

Whole Wheat Pumpkin and Cinnamon Chip Scones (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Cinnamon chips can be found in most US grocery stores. Sadly, I have never found them in Canada (at least in Alberta), but pick up a couple of bags every time I visit the States. If you can’t find cinnamon chips where you are, feel free to amp up the ground cinnamon in this recipe for a little extra cinnamon kick. The original recipe also suggests adding crystallized ginger pieces, either in place of, or alongside the cinnamon chips. However, I think the cinnamon chips really make ’em. 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 TBSP. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 cup butter, cold

1 cup cinnamon chips

2/3 cup pure pumpkin

2 eggs

1 TBSP. milk

Raw cane sugar, for sprinkling

In a large bowl, combine the flours through to the spices. Whisk together until thoroughly mixed. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the cinnamon chips. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and the eggs. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until it starts to come together. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and use your hands to bring everything together. Try not to overwork the dough.

Split the dough in half and form each half into a round disc, about 1 inch thick. Brush each disc with the milk and sprinkle generously with raw cane sugar. Cut each round into six equal pieces. Arrange all 12 pieces on a prepared cookie sheet, about an inch apart. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer, uncovered, for 30 minutes to thoroughly chill (this will help with rise and texture).

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the scones for 22-24 minutes or until golden. Cool on a baking rack. Enjoy the scones warm, or store cooled scones in an airtight container for up to a few days. Typically scones taste best on the same day they are baked, but I liked these scones even better the second day. They’re lovely with a cup of tea or coffee. Makes 12 scones.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones | Once Upon a Recipe

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How I Survived a Half Marathon | (And Lived to Eat) Pumpkin Toffee Ice Cream

October 4, 2012 by 22 Comments

You are much stronger than you think.

I repeated this phrase approximately 149 times in my head during the 1 hour, 57 minutes, and 19 seconds that it took me to complete my first half marathon. 21.1 km. Boom.

To say I was nervous going into this race is a major understatement. My training didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Motivation was hard to find at certain points. Life easily got in the way of going for a run (Geez life! Why you gotta be like that?). I overtrained in the final month before the race, leading to terrible shin splints a couple of weeks before the big day. I obsessively googled race day tips. I almost bought a new pair of shoes with 7 days to go.

My uncle gave me some great advice about a month ago. He encouraged me to visualize the race and how it would feel to finish. After our conversation, I spent a few minutes before I fell asleep every night thinking about what crossing the finish line would feel like. The sights I would see. What I would smell. Hear. Every time I would add more specific detail. Standing at the starting line, there was no doubt in my mind that I would finish the race. I had envisioned it so many times.

The thing is, we are all capable of so much more than our minds allow us to believe. My yoga instructor often says “Keep breathing. There is nothing that you cannot breathe through”…often in the third minute of thunderbolt pose, when our legs are burning, ready to give out. “Just breathe,” she tells us. “You are much stronger than you think.”

And so I breathed deeply as I repeated “You are much stronger than you think” over and over. And over.

The first 10km clipped right by. In fact, when I passed the 10km marker, I was surprised. Almost half way! My surprise gave me hope that the next 10km would fly by just as quickly. The next marker I hit read “13km”. I felt like it should have read 15km. You’re over half way there, I reminded myself. You can do this!

And then the wheels started to fall off the bus. One of my water bottles popped out of my fuel belt and bounced around on the ground behind me. I skidded to a halt and tried to quickly grab it without disturbing any of the other runners. I grabbed the bottle. It jumped out of my hands again. I ended up half-lunging, half falling to the side of the course to get out of another runner’s way. She gave me a sympathetic look. I got back on my feet and got moving again. But I was frazzled. I had lost my momentum. My rhythm.

By the time I hit the 16km mark, the kilometres really started to crawl by. I began to desperately wish that I had someone running beside me, encouraging me, cheering me on. Someone who might be able to drag me across the finish line, if needed.

The huge hill at kilometre 18 nearly finished me. It was long and winding. I promised myself that I would be at the top in 20 seconds. Just when I thought I was nearing the top, it wound around and kept going. I attempted to trick myself in various ways. I pretended that I was on a leisurely 5km run through my neighborhood. I told myself that my body felt great! That my legs did not feel as though they were moving independently from my body, like two stiff boards that I no longer had any control over. That my lungs were full of air, rather than painfully tightening due to a lack thereof.

As I reached the 20km mark, I came upon my friends in the crowd of people lining the streets. Thank goodness for my friends. Hearing their voices cheer my name, seeing their smiling faces, reading the neon sign they held above their heads (“Hurry up, my legs hurt!”) gave me that one final push that I so desperately needed. I managed to sprint the last 200m to the finish line. And despite the difficulty of preceding two hours, I felt like a million bucks. I think it’s true. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. 

Feeling good a few minutes after the finish!

I used to think that I would never run further than a half marathon. Anything longer just seemed…crazy. And quite frankly, downright unnecessary. But in the fog of my post-race high, I’m having second thoughts. There just might be a full marathon in my future.

After all, we are much stronger than we think.

And while we’re burning all of these calories, we’d better remember to replace them. What better way than ice cream?! I came across this recipe for pumpkin ice cream by the lovely Leah from Freutcake a few weeks ago. I immediately pinned it for future making. I made a few small changes to Leah’s recipe, adding in a few additional spices and replacing the dark chocolate chips with toffee bits. It’s creamy, pumpkin-y, and studded with little bits of Skor chocolate bar. Perfect for Fall!

Pumpkin Toffee Ice Cream (adapted from Freutcake, originally from David Lebovitz)

I am presently fantasizing about eating this ice cream out of a big waffle cone and drizzled with caramel sauce. Makes about 1 quart.

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup plus 2 TBSP. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. salt

5 large egg yolks

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. brandy

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup chopped Skor bar (or other toffee chocolate bar)

Prepare an ice bath by putting some ice and a little water in a large bowl and nest a smaller metal bowl (one that will hold at least 2 quarts) inside it. Place a mesh strainer over the top.

In a medium saucepan mix together the milk, cream, granulated sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt. Warm the mixture until hot and the edges begin to bubble and foam. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and gradually whisk in about half of the milk mixture (to temper the eggs), stirring constantly. Scrape the egg mixture back in to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (an instant-read thermometer should read between 160º-170ºF). Immediately pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl nested in the ice bath. Add in the brown sugar, stir until cool, then refrigerate overnight.

Whisk in the vanilla, brandy, and pumpkin puree. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir in the chopped toffee bar, transfer to a container (or my favorite, a loaf pan) and freeze until firm.

Filed Under: Holidays, Sweet Treats Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Happy New Year! | Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake with Caramel and Cream Cheese Frosting

January 2, 2011 by 2 Comments

Happy New Year! I am still adjusting back to real life after an amazing Christmas with family and friends. I have already had 10 glorious days off from work (and a couple left!), and lots of time spent with the most important people in my life. After having Christmas with my family, I hopped on a plane and joined honey and his family in Manitoba for 5 more days of rest and relaxation. It was so great to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and lounge around on a farm for a few days. Thanks to all who made it memorable!

January usually brings with it a sense of dread – the holiday season is over, yet we still have 4 months (or more) of winter left! Yuck. But somehow, we manage to make it through each year, and I know that this year will be no different. I’m sure that planning a trip to an exotic location wouldn’t hurt either…

Over the holidays, I made this pumpkin spice layer cake and brought it to Christmas dinner at my aunt’s house. The cake was deliciously moist, and the caramel and cream cheese frosting added a wonderful richness. This would be a great dessert year round, but especially over fall and winter because of the warm spicy pumpkin flavor. Happy eating!

Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake with Caramel and Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Bon Appétit, Nov. 2008)

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2 tsp. finely grated orange peel

For the frosting:

4 cups icing sugar, divided

1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP. heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans, tapping out any excess flour. Whisk first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin, sugar, and oil in another large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate between additions. Mix in the orange peel. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed just to blend. Divide the batter between prepared pans. Bake the cakes for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack, then turn top side up and cool completely.

For the frosting: Sprinkle 1/2 cup of icing sugar over the bottom of a non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat until the sugar melts (do not stir). Continue cooking until the sugar turns a deep amber color, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Carefully stir in 1/2 cup cream, vanilla, and salt (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir until any caramel bits dissolve. Stir in remaining 1 TBSP. cream. Strain into a small bowl. Cool caramel to room temperature.

Sift 2 cups of icing sugar into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Gradually beat in the icing sugar. Beat in cooled caramel. Gradually add in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar until a good icing consistency is reached (you may not need to use all of the sugar). Cover and chill the frosting until firm enough to spread, about 2 hours.

Using a long serrated knife, trim rounded tops from cakes. Place one cake layer on the cake plate, cut side up. Spread 3/4 cup of frosting over top. Place second cake layer, cut side down, atop frosting. Cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, creating a smooth surface. You can make this up to two days ahead. Cover the cake and chill in fridge. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving. For an extra garnish, sprinkle candied orange peel over the top of the cake (which I could not find anywhere!).

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