Author: Frances

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

While I was hoping to bring you pumpkin recipes right up until Thanksgiving, sadly I think this may be my last pumpkin recipe for the season. I’ve unfortunately tired out all of the people in quarantine circle with pumpkin treats. Today’s cookies and the Butterscotch Pumpkin Fudge from last week I actually sent to a friend out of state for her birthday and my friends near me didn’t want any part in trying some of the extras. Oh well! It was a good run and who knows maybe I’ll sneak in one more. So, for my possible last pumpkin recipe of 2020 I bring you Pumpkin Sugar Cookies. A nice twist on the traditional sugar cookie.

I was a bit skeptical about these cookies when I saw the recipe. Mainly because they seemed to easy to be good, but I was wrong. They came together super quick and only required a short time in the refrigerator to chill the dough before scooping it and rolling it in sugar before baking. And yes, they are slightly orange thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree in the dough, but you know you are getting authentic pumpkin flavor here and not just pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for rolling

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

 

Directions:

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the yolk, then vanilla extract and finally pumpkin. Continue mixing until the ingredients are well combined.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour to the butter mixture and continue mixing until the two mixtures are well combined. Refrigerate the dough for 20* minutes.

While the dough is in the refrigerator preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add sugar to a small bowl.

Once the dough has chilled, use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Roll into a smooth ball and then roll in the sugar before placing on the prepared cookies sheets. Place the cookies 2-inches apart and flatten slightly before placing in the oven for 15 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe from Wine and Glue

Knitted Tube Socks

Before the pandemic started and everything shut down, I was taking crocheting/knitting classes at my local library to learn new patterns and get together with other yarn crafters. Before the pandemic ended the classes I learned how to make crocheted market bags and had just started a class to make a Knitted Keyhole Scarf. What I was excited about though was that I was finally going to learn how to knit socks. It’s something I have been wanting to learn for a while but whenever I read the patterns, they made absolutely no sense to me. I had unfortunately missed the class to learn how to make socks, but the teacher was willing to show me during one of the classes and gave me a pretty easy pattern to follow. A tube sock pattern that didn’t require me to knit a heel, which apparently is the hardest part of making socks. So, I bought the knitting needles I would need (size 3 9-inch circular) and already had the yarn and then classes ended, but I was still determined to learn how to make them.

Thanks to YouTube, I was able to figure out how to start the socks. Using the short-cabled knitting needles I casted on 64 stitches and then divided those stitches among three double-pointed knitting needles. I then worked in a K2, P2 ribbed pattern for five inches to make the cuff of the socks.

Next, it was time to work on the body of the sock. And it couldn’t have been easier, I knit every row until the sock measured 13 inches from the beginning.

To finish the sock, I had to shape the toe. The directions on the pattern I had weren’t that easy to follow, but after a few Google searches I was able to find a toe shaping pattern that would work for the tube sock I made and was easy enough for me to follow.

And once I finished, I had a cozy tube sock that will be perfect for the upcoming cold weather. And since I had worked out some of the kinks in the first sock, my second sock was a lot easier to work up.

My new pair of socks…

Knitted Tube Socks

Materials:

100 grams / 3.75 oz Sock Yarn*

Set of 4 US 3 Double Pointed Knitting Needles

Size 3 9-inch circular needles

*I used Patons Kroy Socks Yarn

 

Directions:

Using the circular needles cast on 64 stitches loosely.

Divide the stitches among three double-pointed needles: 24 stitches on the first needle, 24 on the second needle and 16 on the third needle. Join in round.

Using the 4th needle begin working in K2,P2 rib. Work the ribbing for 5 inches. You can make the ribbing shorter or longer based on your preference.

Knit every round until the sock measures 13 inches from the beginning.

Shape the toe as follows:

Round 1: K6, K2 Tog

Round 2-4: Knit 3 rows

Round 5: K5, K2 Tog

Round 6-8: Knit 3 rows

Round 9: K4, K2 Tog

Round 10-12: Knit 3 rows

Round 13: K3, K2 Tog

Round 14-16: Knit 3 rows

Round 17: K2, K2 Tog

Round 18-19: Knit 2 rows

Round 20: K1, K2 Tog

Round 21: Knit 1 row

Draw the yarn through the remaining stitches and fasten to secure. Weave in ends.

Wash and block to shape.

 

Butterscotch Pumpkin Fudge

I attempted make fudge once before and while it tasted good, the consistency was a bit off. It never hardened and was a bit of a soft mess. That was probably due to the fact that it was a quick fudge that didn’t involve boiling the mixture to the soft ball stage of candy-making. For this Butterscotch Pumpkin Fudge though the consistency was spot on and it was delicious.

I began by lining a 9×13 baking dish with aluminum foil leaving a large enough overhang to make it easy to remove the fudge once it was done. I coasted the foil with softened butter and then got to make the fudge. In a medium saucepan I combined additional butter with sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and heated it over medium heat until it reached a temperature of 240 F, stirring it constantly. This took about 10 minutes. Once the mixture was at the right temperature, I removed it from the heat and stirred in butterscotch chips, marshmallow crème and vanilla extract. Once the mixture was smooth, I then stirred in chopped pecans. If you are not a fan of butterscotch chips you could swap it out for cinnamon chips. Once everything has been well incorporated, I poured it into my prepared pan and let it sit overnight so it could cool and set.

Once the fudge was set, I removed it from the dish and sliced it into 1-inch squares.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Fudge

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 3/4 cup unsalted butter (cube the 3/4 cup)

3 cups sugar

1 5 oz. can evaporated milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 11oz. package butterscotch chips

1 7 oz. jar marshmallow crème

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

 

Directions:

Line a 13 x 9 baking dish with aluminum foil leaving an overhang. Butter the aluminum foil with the tablespoon of butter and set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, milk, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and the remaining butter. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads between 238 F and 240 F (soft ball stage), stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butterscotch chips, marshmallow crème and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in the nuts. Pour into the prepared dish. Cool completely.

Once cool, remove the fudge from the pan by lifting it by the overhang foil. Discard the foil and cut the fudge into 1-inch square. Store in an airtight container lined with waxed paper.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Pumpkin S’mores Layer Cake

I was planning on bringing you another savory pumpkin dessert this week, but I just didn’t like the recipe I made last week for a Pumpkin Black Bean Burger. While the burger wasn’t bad, it was just overpowered with cumin, which isn’t a bad thing, but I just felt that it shouldn’t be the only thing you taste especially after topping the burger with other things. All is well though as I am bringing you a cake that has a lot going on, but it adds up to one thing… Deliciousness! It’s a Pumpkin S’mores Layer Cake.

I made a few adjustments to the original recipe that I got from an issue of Food Network Magazine about two years ago. I came across it in my dessert binder while looking for another recipe. The original recipe called for the cake to be a four-layer cake. Baking two 9-inch cakes and then cutting them in half. I opted to bake the cake in three 9-inch pans to make it a three-layer cake and since I am not keen on meringue frosting, I whipped up the Marshmallow Whipped Cream Frosting I used for the S’mores Cupcakes I posted back in August.

So, you have a three-layer pumpkin cake that had graham crackers crumbs added to the batter separated by a chocolate filling that is made with chocolate and marshmallows and it’s all topped with a light and not overly sweet marshmallow whipped cream frosting… YUM!

 

Pumpkin S’mores Layer Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 whole graham crackers

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup buttermilk*

 

For the Filling:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

12 large marshmallows or 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 cup cold heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Frosting:

2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 7oz. jars marshmallow cream

 

*Make your own by combining 1/2 cup whole milk with three teaspoons of white vinegar and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it thickens and appears to curdle

 

Directions:

Begin by making the cake. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray three 9-inch round baking pans with baking spray.

In a food processor pulse the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and pulse to combine.

In a large bowl beat the butter and both sugars with handheld mixer until medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and add in the pumpkin puree. The batter will appear curdled. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and finally the remaining flour mixture. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and tap the bottom of the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles.

Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and then invert the cakes on the racks to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling make the filling. In microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate, marshmallows, cocoa powder and 1/3 cup of the heavy cream and microwave in 30 second intervals. Stirring between each interval. Continue microwaving until everything is melted. Continue stirring the mixture until smooth and then stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature.

While the chocolate mixture is cooling, whisk the remaining 2/3 cup heavy cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk a third of this cream into the cooled chocolate mixture and then gently fold in the rest with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

To make the frosting, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract to a large bowl and beat with a handheld mixer until soft peaks form. Add in the marshmallow cream and continue beating until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cake board or cake stand. Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag and pipe around the perimeter of the cake and then spread half of the chocolate filling in the center. Repeat with another cake layer and then top with the final cake layer and then frost the cake with remaining frosting.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe modified from Food Network

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

While pumpkin is predominantly used in dessert dishes, it can also be used to make some delicious savory dishes. Pumpkin is actually really good for you, so, by using it in dishes that aren’t overloaded with sugar you can get some great health benefits from it. It can boost your immune system, protect your eyesight, lower your risk of certain cancers and promote heart and skin health. So, while the past couple of weeks I have brought you pumpkin desserts this week I am bringing you a pumpkin dish that is perfect for the cold days ahead… a Turkey Pumpkin Chili.

As with most chili’s this one is cooked in just one pot and takes minutes to prepare. I started out by sautéing onions and then adding in the ground turkey and spices. Once the meat was browned, I added in the beans, pumpkin, water and chicken broth and continued to cook it until it was thickened.

And enjoyed it with a dollop of sour cream and hot sauce on top.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 15oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz. can pumpkin

1 14.5oz. can chicken broth

1 3/4 cups water

Hot sauce, sour cream and scallions for topping

Directions:

In a heavy-bottomed pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender. Stir in the turkey, coriander, smoked paprika and salt, cook, stirring occasionally to break up the ground turkey, until the meat is browned.

Add in the beans, pumpkin, water and chicken broth to the turkey mixture. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often until everything is heated through and the chili begins to thicken, about 15 minutes.

Top with hot sauce, sour cream and/or scallions.

Recipe from Real Simple Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Honey Pumpkin Crumble Pie

So, I am trying to bring you a new pumpkin treat every week. I am hoping up until the week of Thanksgiving. And with the way time has been flying by it will be here before we know it. This week I am bringing you a twist on your traditional pumpkin pie… A Honey Pumpkin Crumble Pie. Don’t worry, it’s not super sweet because of the honey and the crumble topping offers a nice texture and crunch thanks to the addition of walnuts. And while I love pumpkin pie, I will admit that it can be a tad bit dense, but this pie is creamier and lighter.

Honey Pumpkin Crumble Pie

                      

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 15oz. can pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 12oz. can evaporated milk

1 9-inch deep dish frozen pie crust

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the pie crust on a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl combine the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves and using a hand mixer whisk together until just combined. Continue beating while gradually adding the evaporated milk. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

While the pie is in the oven make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl combine the flour, chopped nuts, brown sugar and butter. Using a fork or your hands mix the ingredients together until they are crumbly.

Sprinkle the crumb topping over the pie after the 25 minutes and then continue baking the pie for an additional 20 – 25 minutes. Until the crumble topping lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack and then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe from Mixing Bowl Magazine

Mini Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecakes

Mini desserts are the perfect-sized treats. You can satisfy your sweet tooth and not feel guilty that you may have served yourself too much of your desired dessert. For today’s pumpkin recipe I am bringing you a Mini Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake. And the title says it all, you have pumpkin, cream cheese and a hint of coffee. I made a few slight changes to the original recipe to use up items I currently had in my pantry… Instead of speculoos cookies (a spiced shortbread cookie) I used graham crackers and instead of regular instant coffee I used Bustelo Instant Espresso. While I am not a coffee drinker, I always have this in my pantry to make tiramisu and to make coffee to use in lieu of water for box chocolate cake mix. If you didn’t know, coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate cake.

To begin I made the crust. After rolling graham crackers with a rolling pin to make crumbs, I combined them with sugar. I then placed a tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of cupcake liners I placed in a muffin tin.

Next, after making the cheesecake batter, I spooned about 1/4 cup of the batter over the graham cracker crumb mixture.

I then baked the cheesecakes in a 325 F preheated oven for about 30 minutes. I ended up leaving the cheesecakes in the oven for a minute or two too long and they ended up cracking on top…

But once they cooled the cheesecakes deflated a bit and the cracks were gone. After letting them cool in the pan for a few minutes I removed them and transferred them to a wire rack to cool completely before refrigerating them.

I ended up leaving them in the refrigerator for about a day before topping them with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and sprinkling them with pumpkin pie spice.

Final verdict… YUM!!! They were super creamy and overbaking them had no effect on the texture whatsoever. The combination of coffee and pumpkin is delicious and the dollop of whipped cream on top was the perfect topping.

Looking for another recipe that combines coffee and pumpkin?  Then check out my Pumpkin Tiramisu recipe from a few years ago.

 

Mini Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (12 graham crackers)

3/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3 8oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon instant coffee

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of the mixture to the bottom of each of the cupcake liners.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and the remaining 3/4 cup sugar with a hand mixer on medium until well blended. Add the pumpkin, 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin spice and vanilla extract, mix well. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition. Mix until just blended. Stir in the coffee granules until completely dissolved. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the cheesecake batter over the graham cracker crust.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the centers are just set. Cool completely and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Beat the whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar together until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large piping tip and pipe the whipped cream over the cheesecakes. Sprinkle with the remaining pumpkin spice.

Recipe slightly modified from Kraft Foods

Chocolate Pumpkin Flan

It’s Fall Y’all! And you know what that means… It’s time for some pumpkin treats. Truth be told I feel like Fall came out of nowhere this year. Between working from home and barely going anywhere due to the pandemic the days are just passing by quickly and rolling into each other. Now that September is winding down though I’m doing my best to be cognizant of the days/dates to make sure I get all of my holiday projects and goodies done. I’m kicking off Fall with a Chocolate Pumpkin Flan.

While traditional flan uses eggs as the base to make the custard, this flan uses a combination of cream cheese, eggs and pumpkin. One thing that does remain the same though is the delicious caramel sauce. And I am happy to say that I was finally successful in making caramel sauce. I have tried in the past and all I have ended up with is burnt sugar. I was determined this time to get it right. One thing that helped, besides having patience, was using a smaller saucepan. I normally use a medium sized one and I think that was preventing the caramel from coming together. By using a smaller one it was easier for the sugar to melt into the water and begin the caramelization process. I also resisted the urge to stir it and instead swirled the pan every few minutes to ensure it wouldn’t burn.  As with a traditional flan, once the caramel was done I poured it into the pan I was using and then poured the batter for the flan over it. Oh, one other thing this flan has that a traditional flan doesn’t have… melted chocolate. If you didn’t know, chocolate and pumpkin go together really well. After baking in a water bath, initially I was thinking that I could bake a 9-inch pan inside of a 10-inch springform pan, but, after I added the water it seeped right out so I ended up baking it in a water bath inside of my roasting pan, I let it cool and then refrigerated it overnight before unmolding it. It didn’t come out easily, but, once it did it thankfully didn’t break apart.

Final verdict… It was delicious. It had the exact consistency of an egg custard flan but the flavor of pumpkin and chocolate with a hint of spice thanks to pumpkin spice. Which is just a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice.

So, even with all the craziness going on are you looking forward to the holidays? Me and a friend were saying the other day how when the summer started, we had no clue how the summer would be and what we would be able to do. And now here we are, the summer is over, and we made it through without doing anything really. With the extra time on the weekends I was able to get some projects done in my backyard and I am in the middle of remodeling my living room. All in all, I am sure most people are looking to put this year to bed. For now though, bring on the pumpkins, the mums and the scarves!

Chocolate Pumpkin Flan

Ingredients:

2oz. semi-sweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup water

1 12oz. can evaporated milk

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened and cubed

4 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Microwave the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on high for 1 minute, or until almost melted. Stir until completely melted, set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan add 3/4 cups of the sugar and the water. Cook on medium heat until the mixture is golden brown and a syrup-like consistency. This will take 10-15 minutes. Do not stir the contents, instead swirl the pan every few minutes. Pour into a 9-inch round pan.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, combine the evaporated milk and cream cheese and mix together until smooth.  Add the remaining sugar, the eggs, pumpkin, pumpkin spice and melted chocolate and continue mixing until well incorporated. Pour the mixture over the syrup in the pan.

Place the 9-inch pan inside of a larger pan, a roasting pan is ideal, and fill the larger pan with enough water that it comes halfway up the sides of the small pan.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool completely on a wire rack and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before inverting and unmolding. Drizzle any remaining caramel sauce left in pan over flan. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe from Kraft Foods

Carrot Cake Swirled Cheesecake Bars

Carrot Cake is one of my favorite desserts. Well, let me add a slight disclaimer to that. It must be frosted with cream cheese frosting and not buttercream and the cake has to be strictly carrots. Walnuts or pecans are okay but, I am not a fan of adding coconut or pineapple to the batter. That being said, when I came across a recipe for a Carrot Cake Swirled Cheesecake Bar I knew I had to try it.

I started by making the carrot cake batter and pouring half of it into the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish that I sprayed with baking spray. I set the remaining carrot cake batter aside and then made the cream cheese mixture.

Once the cream cheese mixture was done, I dropped spoonfuls of it along with spoonfuls of the remaining carrot cake batter over the batter in the dish.

Next, I used a knife to swirl the two batters together. I then baked it in a 325 F preheated oven for about 45 minutes.

After cooling completely on a wire rack, I sliced the bars.

And while these aren’t a substitute for carrot cake and its delicious cream cheese frosting, they are delicious nonetheless and require less time and fuss.

 

Carrot Cake Swirled Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided

2 cups sugar, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, divided

3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

3 8 oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup milk

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with baking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl mix 1 cup of the flour and sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil, 2 of the eggs, 2 teaspoons of the vanilla extract and carrots and mix well. Spread half of the batter in the prepared baking dish. Set aside the remaining batter.

In another large bowl beat together the cream cheese and the remaining 1 cup sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add the milk, remaining 2 tablespoons flour and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla extract, beat until well blended. Add the remaining 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until just blended.

Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture and reserved cake batter over the carrot cake batter in the pan. Once all the batter is used up, cut through it several times with a knife for a marble effect.

Bake 40 – 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack then slice into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Recipe from McCormick

Baked Zucchini Fries

If you have been following along, you know that I decided to plant a garden this year. I posted about it a few weeks when I shared a recipe for Walnut Pesto.  I mentioned in that post that I was hoping to make zucchini fried with the zucchini I was growing. Well, a day or so after picking my first decent sized zucchini another one was ready for picking. So, it seemed like the perfect time to make zucchini fries.

Initially I was planning on frying them. And while I have nothing against fried food, I just don’t like the clean-up involved after frying things indoors. The oil always splatters, and you must wait until the oil cools down before you can wash your pot. I am one of those people who likes to clean as they go while they are in the kitchen. So, I randomly came across a baked option and thankfully I had all the ingredients on hand. And the recipe was super simple, I had them in the oven in less than 10 minutes. And best of all, they didn’t get soggy like fried zucchini fries get and they didn’t need a dipping sauce since they were seasoned perfectly!

Baked Zucchini Fries

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchinis, sliced into fries/spears

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the breads crumbs, garlic powder, dried basil, salt and pepper and set aside.

In another large bowl combine the zucchini with eggs and mix them well to make sure the zucchini is evenly coated by the eggs.

Toss the zucchini in the bread crumb mixture a few at a time and then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Continue doing this until all the zucchini has been coated with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, flipping the zucchini halfway through the baking.

Recipe from Tasty