sugar – Whole Heartily

Homemade Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Recipe

Welcome back friends!

Who wants some fresh, oven-baked, cinnamon and sugar coated pumpkin doughnuts to enjoy on one (or more) of these beautiful Autumn mornings? Maybe at a table with some coffee or tea and a good book?

I know I do, so let’s bake some!

PUMPKIN DOUGHNUTS

2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of vegetable oil

TOPPING

3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together in a medium bowl.
Beat the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and vegetable oil together in a large bowl.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and beat until well combined.
Fill 3, six cup nonstick doughnut pans with batter so each mold is almost full, then smooth the tops with a small spoon.
Bake the doughnuts for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, then remove them from the oven and invert them onto a cooling rack.
While the doughnuts are baking and/or cooling, stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl and melt the topping butter in another bowl.
Once the doughnuts have cooled to a comfortable handling temperature, brush both sides of each one with butter and then dip each side in the cinnamon and sugar to coat.
Enjoy!

Classic, Fluffy Sugar Cookie Recipe

Have you tried a classic, fluffy sugar cookie? They are so cozy and delicious, and would pair perfectly with any warm beverage of your choice. Share them with family, friends, even leave them out with some milk for Santa Claus!

CLASSIC FLUFFY SUGAR COOKIES

2 3/4 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
2 cups of granulated sugar, divided
1 egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set this bowl aside.
In another large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and the vanilla extract to the creamed butter, and thoroughly mix again.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated (you may need to use your hands). The dough will be soft and slightly dewy when ready.
Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or more.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator when ready and pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into a small mixing bowl and set it aside.
Line a large baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.
Scoop out portions of 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough, rolling them into balls about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter. Roll each cookie dough ball in the bowl of sugar to coat, then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes (this varies per oven so keep an eye on them) or until the top of the cookie begins to crinkle and the bottom sides turn golden brown.
Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire cooking rack to finish cooling completely.
Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Cider Recipe

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! Autumn is my favorite season and while pumpkin spice has its charms, I prefer apple cider!

My family and I are starting a new Halloween tradition this year that includes drinking apple cider (check back on Friday for more details) and I thought it would be special to create our own!

Please feel free to use this recipe to create some delicious apple cider for you and yours! This cider is sweet and spiced; I used all Honeycrisp apples, but you can experiment with the combination of apples to change the flavor!

HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER

INGREDIENTS

10 medium apples, quartered
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons of ground cloves
4 – 6 tablespoons of sugar
Water

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the apples, cinnamon, cloves and sugar into a crockpot, then add enough water to cover the apples.
Cover the crockpot and cook the contents on low for 6 hours.
Once the 6 hours have passed, use a spoon to gently crush the apples, then allow them to cook for 1 more hour.
Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow the contents to cool slightly.
Slowly ladle and strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a large pot or pitcher, then strain it a second time; discard the solids.
Enjoy warm or cold!

Dialing down Caffeine

Caffeine_small

Nearly a year ago I wrote this:

Growing up, I remember when fast food was a treat we were bought every other week or so and I remember when I wasn’t allowed to drink any soda with caffeine in it, not to mention energy drinks. If I was allowed soda at all, it had to be something caffeine free.

As I grew up I was given more allowances and I was allowed to start making my own decisions. I was introduced to caffeinated soda and still maintained a healthy distance.

As an adult I’ve started an office job that is relatively stressful, but not painfully so. I started buying caffeinated sodas and eventually graduated to energy drinks to “treat” or “reward” myself during the work day, but it’s become too frequent. I can feel the negative effects of the sugar and caffeine in these drinks on my mind and body, but I still crave them anyway! As we plan on starting a family I think it’s time to find some healthier “treat” or “reward” options and get back to my healthier habits. As of last Friday, I’ve stopped drinking sodas and energy drinks. It’s definitely rough while my body is figuring out how to cope without all the sugar and caffeine, but it’ll pass!

This didn’t last long, and before I knew it I was up to consuming one sugar filled energy drink or soda every day. I’m not kidding, every day. I knew they were bad for me, I’ve known it for a long time (hence my writing of the post above), but I wouldn’t break the habit; I needed my sweet treat.

The 10 day smoothie cleanse I imposed on myself last month really helped snap me out of those bad habits and carried me through the withdrawal period. I won’t say I will never have an energy drink or soda again, that would be a bald-faced lie, but I feel like I have a better handle on my willpower than I ever did before.

Lesson learned: There is no magic trick to make you stop drinking or eating the things that are bad for you. You need to decide when enough is enough and have the willpower to steer yourself away from that vice. If you need to use a 10 day cleanse to get you started, then use it, but you are the ultimate factor.

Giving up energy drinks and sodas

As I grew up I was given more allowances and I was allowed to start making my own decisions. I was introduced to caffeinated soda and still maintained a healthy distance.