In fact…I kind of hate to share the fact that it’s a lighter version. If I were you, I wouldn’t tell anyone! We have a saying in my family: “don’t tell everything you know.” Sometimes it’s just the truth.

Light Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread
Cooking Light

Seriously, this is my favorite pumpkin bread to date. It’s moist, rich, and perfectly spiced. Give a loaf to a friend and they’ll never know it’s healthy! Or just be like us and eat both loaves in your own dang house. You’re a grownup.

Makes 2 loaves

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute*
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk**
2 large eggs
2/3 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour two loaf pans; set aside.

Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a medium bowl.

Place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Add water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined.

Spoon batter into pans and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter.

Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, checking after 50 minutes (you may need to cover the breads with foil at this point if the nuts are starting to burn). Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

*I did use (liquid) egg substitute as called for, because I normally have it on hand. If you don’t have this, you could use egg whites or even full eggs. Make sure to crack your eggs or whites into a measuring cup to make sure you’re using the correct amount.

**Per usual, I substituted nonfat (vanilla in this case) yogurt for the buttermilk. You could also use skim or nonfat milk with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (let stand for 5 minutes).

Are you a pumpkin bread junkie like me? Here’s a recipe with some citrus! And this one is vegan.

In the midst of a rather ridiculous streak of checking-things-off-the-list, I stopped for a few minutes to mix up these muffins. They are a lovely blend of whole wheat, carrots, apples, coconut, and peanuts (I know, weird). They’re hearty and delicious, and not too sweet for breakfast (not that there is such a thing).

Let’s all start the week on a bright note, shall we? Here, have a muffin and some coffee.

Morning Glory Muffins
Barely adapted from Marci Gilbert

1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped*
1/4 cup plus 2 T sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with papers or spray lightly.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add egg mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in apple, raisins, carrots, walnuts, and 1/4 cup coconut.

Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each muffin cup 3/4 full. Top batter with remaining coconut.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

*I didn’t have any walnuts in the house, but I did have about eight zillion dry-roasted peanuts, so I chopped some up and threw them in the bowl. I know, it sounds weird, but it worked!

Yes, I had to shoot photos at night before we left for my birthday trip (Vegas!) and yes, they’re a little dark and 1980s-style. Yes, I sliced the entire cake and froze all but two slices and yes, we broke into another two slices Monday night. It’s been that sort of week.

The point is that this is the best (and easiest?) cake I’ve ever made. Cheesecake = no altitude issues, and for that I am eternally grateful. And it’s so delicious that Ryan has requested the aforementioned frozen leftovers for his birthday next week. I don’t know if a spouse’s frozen leftover birthday cake is socially acceptable for one’s birthday, but we’ll see.

Almond Joy Cheesecake
Adapted from The Curvy Carrot

I had planned on cutting the original recipe in half to use in my smallest springform pan, but then I realized my pan was a little big for that, so here is my slightly inexact and unscientific 2/3 recipe.

For the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (cinnamon or plain)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/8 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

For the filling:
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1 tablespoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For the glaze:
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whole roasted almonds, toasted coconut, whipped cream, for garnish (optional)

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 7″ springform pan by wrapping it with aluminum foil to allow for extra three inches or so of foil to project above the sides. (This will help later when you need to grab the pan.)

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, almonds, coconut, and sugar to a fine crumb. With the machine running, slowly add the melted butter and pulse until it resembles moist sand.

Press the mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for about 12 minutes, or until set and lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Readjust oven temperature to 325°F.

For the filling: In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add the coconut and vanilla extracts. Stop the mixer, and gently fold in the toasted almonds with a spatula until well combined.

Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (until the crust is puffy and lightly browned). Don’t worry if it cracks a bit — you’ll be covering it with chocolate!

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the chocolate glaze: Combine the chocolate chips, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature (this took about 10 minutes for me).

Pour the glaze over the cheesecake (which is still in the springform pan) and spread evenly. Chill the cheesecake overnight or until firm and set.

When ready to serve, run a knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen the cake.  Release the pan sides, lift out and peel away the foil, garnish if desired, and serve.

Through bits and bites from my friends and family, I believe I have now tried all of their muffins, but I always order the carrot raisin nut one. It is so moist and flavorful, full of spices, fruit, and nuts. Yum! Last weekend I really wanted to recreate the muffins, and had no problem finding copycat recipes online. I decided to healthy mine up a little and it still came out wonderfully delicious. And yes, they are flat. I do not claim to be a high-altitude muffin expert, but I’m working on it.

Carrot Raisin Walnut Muffins

Makes about 12 muffins

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ginger
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs gently. Add oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Fold in dry ingredients, followed by carrot, raisins, and walnuts.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container for up to a week.

And of course, cookies of all kinds are right up there. I read about Jenna’s oatmeal cookies this morning and decided that I needed to make them. That was about the extent of the thought process. What can I say, it’s Friday and my brain is tired and frozen.

These cookies are pretty delicious; it’s not even noon and I’ve already eaten two. Feel free to use what ever sort of dried fruit/nut/chocolate combination you like – your own tired brain is the limit!

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies
Eat, Live, Run

1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the oats, flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, walnuts, cranberries and chocolate chips. Set aside.

Cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat only until combined.

Scoop out whopping tablespoons of dough on a lined baking sheet. Flatten a little with your fingers (works best if your fingers are wet so the dough won’t stick as much). Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.

I can now attest that Megan is exactly right in saying that these are what you should make when you feel like a disaster. I made these yesterday somewhere around the middle of a long and ridiculous Monday. I came home feeling covered in powdered sugar and with the kind of headache that twenty screaming five-year-olds at a birthday party cause. I turned the oven on as soon as I walked in the door. I made these, and I felt better. Or butter. Either way.

I like recipes that require only about five minutes of actual work. Heck, it took me longer than that to remember how many scoops of coffee I put in the grinder yesterday afternoon, a task I’ve done approximately eleven zillion times. It was a long day. If you’re having a long day, and the fact that it’s only four (!) days before Christmas is freaking you out, please make these. They can be a gift to you, if necessary. I won’t tell the present police.

Quick Toffee Squares
Take a Megabite

1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt, to taste

heaping 2 cups of chocolate chips
crushed candy cane or nuts for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix all of the ingredients together using a wooden spoon and some muscle or an electric mixer. When everything is combined fabulously press into the bottom of a jelly-roll-sized baking sheet (the smaller of the baking sheets). Bake for 15 minutes.

Take out of the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Cover with another baking sheet to trap the heat in and melt the chocolate. If your chocolate chips don’t want to melt (as mine didn’t), set your oven on “warm” (about 200°F), and stick the sheet in there for a few minutes. Once the chips have melted a bit more, spread them out with a spatula.

Once the chocolate has melted spread evenly and sprinkle with candy cane bits or nuts. Slice and eat!

At any rate, oatmeal does have some good flavors going for it. I love cinnamon and nuts and dried fruit – so I put them in a muffin. With oatmeal. And guess what? It’s not mushy. And I’d venture to say that it’s healthier than a lot of oatmeal you’ve probably eaten.

These are certainly not the prettiest muffins I’ve ever made, but they are so tasty that I wanted to share the recipe anyway! If you’re wondering why the funny shapes – I used individual silicone cups (star- and flower-shaped) on a cookie sheet rather than a muffin pan. They’re extremely non-stick and I like to use them when I’m just baking for the two of us.

Oatmeal Muffins
Adapted from Simply Recipes

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a twelve-slot muffin tin or line the slots with paper baking cups.

Mix together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, walnuts, dates, and raisins. In a separate bowl mix together the yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, butter, and applesauce.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir together. Be sure not to over-stir as that will cause the muffins to develop too many gluten bonds. It should be thick and gloppy. About 10 seconds of stirring should do; just enough to barely bring the ingredients together. Scoop into prepared muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tray for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 425°F for 15-18 minutes.

Strangely enough November is nearly always my favorite time of year. I know it’s cold and often bleak, but to me November has always meant the start of the holiday excitement, which I love. Thanksgiving is a big holiday in my family and one that I dearly love. This year we find ourselves fifteen hundred miles away from our families and for me it’s put rather a big damper on November. Which naturally, leads to chocolate.

Although I can’t seem to nail down much of anything that I really feel like baking, these bars from MamaPea grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Almond Joy is my favorite candy bar (except for maybe Three Musketeers, but good luck recreating that one) and the idea of a bar cookie capturing their essence was just what the doctor ordered for a case of November grumpies.

Almond Joy Bars (vegan!)
Adapted from Peas and Thank You

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup old-fasioned oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup natural almond or peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons agave nectar
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (soy, almond, etc)*

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8X8 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, coconut, oats, almonds and chocolate chips.

In a smaller bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry and stir until combined. If mixture is too dry, add a splash more milk.

Spread dough into bottom of pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until set and golden brown around edges. Let cool (refrigerate if desired) before cutting into bars.

*If you’re not concerned with keeping these vegan, feel free to use regular milk. I had vanilla soy milk on hand, so I went for it!

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes.

The results of thriftiness and a little ingenuity can be pretty great, and this is a perfect example. And it’s vegan. You’re welcome.

And for tonight, that’s all I’ve got. Please go make some bread now.

Coconut Pineapple Banana Bread
Joy the Baker

2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
generous pinch of ground ginger
pinch of allspice
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas really well. Add the sugar, pineapple, and oil and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.  Fold in the coconut.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with extra sugar if you’d like.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 375°F.

I wish I could take credit for the idea of this lovely creation, which is somewhere between a scone and a muffin, and completely good for you. It’s equally great paired with coffee for breakfast or solo for an afternoon snack. Truth be told, I’ve been munching on one all morning.

These lovely little scuffins have just the right amount of sweetness to feel like a treat while staying totally wholesome. I think they’d be a decent diabetic dessert option because you could certainly leave out the sugar altogether and substitute sugar-free syrup.

It should be noted that these are definitely not overly sweet. Upon first taste, Ryan proclaimed that, “they taste healthy.” I liked them, but hey, what do I know. However, I noticed the next day that the maple flavor had become noticeably more pronounced and the scuffins even seemed a bit more moist. Ryan even agreed. Maybe I do know a thing or two.

Carrot Cake Scuffins
Adapted from Oh She Glows

1 cup spelt flour*
1/2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (OR: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup regular oats
1 cup shredded or grated carrots (approx 2 medium)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
Coconut, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Using a food processor or grater, process/grate the carrots. In a medium sized bowl mix together the wet ingredients (carrots, vanilla, oil, maple syrup, egg). Add wet to dry and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Scoop mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased with oil. Scoop about 1/4 cup for each scuffin to make 6 large scuffins, or a bit less to make 9-10 medium scuffins. Wet hands and shape into a circle if desired. Sprinkle with coconut. Bake for 25 minutes or until brown around the edges and cool on a wire rack.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.

*If you don’t have or can’t find spelt flour, you can substitute all-purpose.