a holiday baking extravaganza

I went home for the holidays and suddenly had easy access to an oven and lots of ingredients, as well as several extra mouths. So I went a little crazy, and made two types of muffins and gluten free cookies, all in two days.

the giant (super cheap) squash

We got a giant squash from the grocery store, so I roasted it and substituted it for pumpkin in my pumpkin muffins (with various other modifications). They weren't very good, so I'll refrain from sharing the recipe. Turns out, pumpkin recipes don't get ALL of their flavor from the spices. My dad likes them, though, and snacks on them after he works out.

Next I made (gluten free) pistachio cookies. The recipe is over at Trissalicious. My mom said they were a bit too nutty for her; she would have added some spices or something citrusy to make them a little less nutty. I thought they were spectacular. I could see these being wonderful mixed into some pistachio ice cream. (We had them with pumpkin ice cream.. also a good decision.)

squash muffins + pistachio cookies + Strauss milk

Finally, I made cranberry walnut muffins. The base muffin recipe on this is absolutely incredible (very light, fluffy and moist). Expect to see lots of variations on this in the future. I'll have to find an applesauce substitute, though.. my mom had just made homemade applesauce, but we don't usually keep it on hand in the dorm.

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One-Bowl Cranberry Walnut Muffins
18 muffins

cranberry walnut muffin

Ingredients
0.75c butter, melted+cooled
1c packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
0.5c unsweetened applesauce
1.5c white whole wheat flour
1.5t baking powder
0.5t baking soda
2c fresh cranberries
1c roughly chopped walnuts

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Mix the butter, eggs, sugar and applesauce together.
3. Put the flour, baking powder and baking soda in the center of the liquid ingredients and briefly combine the dry ingredients before incorporating them into the liquid ingredients. Mix dry into liquid until slightly lumpy.
4. Add cranberries and walnuts. Mix until incorporated.
5. Divide into lined muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when pressed and the muffins are lightly golden brown.
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Cranberry