One of The Most Decadent Quick Breads I Have Ever Made

Oh my! Ever had a craving for chocolate? Well this should do the trick for satisfying that sweet tooth. There is just something  luscious about a well baked quick bread. My mom used to make quick breads all the time and when I was a kid in 4-H I was always trying new recipes to enter in the county fair. I remember making anorange cranberry bread that was pretty darned good, if I say so myself, but I bet this recipe would have been a blue ribbon winner for sure.

The balance of cocoa and sweetness is perfect and it literally just melts in your mouth from the very first taste.

In fact you might want to go ahead and make a double batch of this recipe because I will guarantee you that one loaf is going to disappear so quickly you might even start a riot.

This is what Mel of Mels Kitchen Café has to say about this amazingly delicious recipe.

Simple as simple can be, this bread is exactly what a quick bread should be: quick and extremely non-fussy.

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Quick Tip:  Try this toasted with a thin layer of softened cream cheese on top. You can thank me later.

Image and recipe courtesy of Mel at Mel’s Kitchen Café

The post One Bite And You Will Be In Chocolate Heaven appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Put Mom’s Diner on the Map

Just the color of these fall cinnamon rolls makes me happy! Everywhere you turn there are pumpkin inspired foods, snacks, and recipe. There is no way I could ever make all the things I want to make, but I will try! I thought at one point during my fall baking I would begin to get tired of pumpkin but I have found the opposite to be true. The more new recipes I try, the more I am in love with the amazing and multifunctional gourd!

I used to think that pumpkins were just for carving or decorating, but now when I go shopping all I can imagine is how many cups of fresh puree can I make. It reminds me of the cartoon when one of the hungry characters sees his friend and all of a sudden they look like a piece of food.
Yeah..that is me looking at a pumpkin. I see the round orange vegetable but what I really am imagining is pumpkin scones, pancakes, or cinnamon rolls.

This is what Christy of The Girl Who Ate Everything had to say about the recipe her friend Ami shared with her.

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls With Caramel Frosting are soft and tender pumpkin spiced cinnamon rolls with a sweet caramel icing.

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Quick tip: Have a Kitchen Aid? Use the beater for the wet ingredients and switch to the bread dough hook when adding in the flour.

Image and recipe courtesy of Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything

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So Good You Might Be Tempted To Lick The Plate

The first time I made this for our kids piano recite dessert table I had a swarm of moms asking for the recipe. It was so yummy, yet it was so simple I was almost afraid to let them in on how easy it was to make. Seriously, I think I saw on of the Grandma’s licking her fork it is that good. You can image my surprise the next time a recital rolled around and the piano teacher gave me the invitation with a yellow sticky note attached asking if I could bring the yummy dessert I had brought before.

I guess you could say it really was my encore performance!

I always thought that if you were going to make a dessert it needed to be labor intensive and time consuming, but this dessert is so easy it is almost a sin to tell people you make it from scratch.

Here is what Lidia of Yummiest Foods.com has to say about her crowd pleasing recipe.

“Chocolate Lush – perfect combination of cream cheese, cool whip and pecans! This recipe is very easy to make and it is so delicious! Layer after layer of chocolate fantasy – Chocolate Lush!”

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Quick Tip. If you are not a huge Cool Whip person feel free to make up whipped cream and sweeten with powdered sugar.

Image and recipe courtesy of Lidia of Yummiest Food.com

The post Don’t Be Surprised When Your Guests Cry Out Encore After Just One Bite of This No-Bake Dessert appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

A Perfect Little Treat That Guests Will Go Wild About

I love the taste of pumpkin. And I noticed I must not be the only one because the last time I went to the grocery store they had a whole section dedicated to pumpkin foods, it was amazing! Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin scones, and pumpkin flavored Oreos were just begging to be put into my cart and taken home.

But I really wanted to make something unique that didn’t require rolling thinly baked sheet cakes around cream cheese filling. Not that I am opposed to that recipe since I made about 4 of those pumpkin logs last year. No, I wanted to treat my family to a new recipe. When I saw this I KNEW I had a winner!

I could make these and put them in the freezer so I didn’t have to spend the day they were arriving in the kitchen. And because these are tidy little bites this makes a perfect little treat after dinner without feeling like we need to break out a big dessert!

This is what Dan of Cakes Cottage has to say about his recipe.

“These pumpkin cheesecake balls are no-bake. They are so easy and taste amazing. Bring them to a party and you’ll be a hero forever!

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Quick Tip: Purchase small take out containers from Smart and Final or a craft store and send a few of these home with your guests or take to neighbors.

Image and recipe courtesy of Dan and Cottage Cakes.com

The post No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls Were The Hit Of My Last Office Party appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

I Made These And Was Voted Best Mom In The PTA!

The first time I took our kids out Trick or Treating in our neighborhood we went door to door, greeting our neighbors while wearing their adorable little outfits. I bought green T-Shirts, a few accessories, and got out my sewing machine.  Nathan was Peter Pan, Emma was Tinker Bell and Mark dressed as one of the lost boys. They carried little plastic pumpkins to haul their “loot” around and when they got home there was a cellophane wrapped popcorn ball just like these with a note from the elderly woman, Louise, across the street.  She was so excited when our kids rang her doorbell that she not only had to get her camera, but also called for Charlie to come and say Hello to the little treaters.

It has been years since we moved from that street or saw our old neighbors, but the thought of a homemade popcorn ball still brings a smile to my face. Just like it did to Louise when she opened the door on that crisp fall evening.

Now, kids go to fall festivals as much as they go out trick or treating, but getting dressed up and having a fun time is something that will never change or go out of style. These old-fashioned treats are always a big hit… in fact we have made these for class parties since they are a gluten free option!

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Quick Tip: You can use small M&Ms in these as well.

Recipe and image courtesy of All Recipes .com

The post Just a Few Ingredients And You Can Have a Ball. Literally! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Perfect For a Quick Slumber Party Snack!

I am a busy mom but most of our kids have already grown up and flown the nest. The other day I was looking through a big box of photos and saw several from when our daughter had a huge sleep over for her birthday. I remember they set up the tent in the backyard, filled it with their sleeping bags, pillows, and dozens of stuffed animals. For a craft, we painted T-Shirts. I made these little treats to snack on while we were in the thick of T-Dying. They were a huge hit. The best part was that I didn’t even have to turn on the oven to make these since all you need it the waffle iron. In fact, this recipe called for ingredients you just put together so I didn’t even have to get out a mixer! How easy it that!

I love making things from scratch, but sometimes it just isn’t practical if you are in the middle other things that require your attention. The greatest part was that the girls watched me make these and wanted to learn to make them for their families. Who knew the waffle iron was such a versatile appliance?

This is what Alison of Domestic Superhero.com has to say about this super yummy and fun finger food.

“Perfect for me, because like I always say, I am NOT a baker. No way. So, use your store bought apple pie filling, premade pie crust, and jar of caramel sauce…it works PERFECTLY.  I’m not going to tell anyone on you, don’t worry. No baking police over here.”

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Quick Tip: since you can keep crust in the freezer, you might want to keep a few boxes on hand for those last minute emergencies. Can you ever REALLY have enough pie!

Recipe and image courtesy of Alison of Domestic Superhero.com

The post If You Can Turn On Your Waffle Maker, You Can Bake These Little Apple Treats! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Perfect Fall Dessert and So Easy To Make

I love fall time. Pulling out favorite sweaters, starting a fire in the fireplace, and eating lots of comfort foot. This classic apple dessert is among my very favorite fall recipes. It combines apples, caramel and oats. Our neighbors had an apple tree and I loved getting apples from her. One year the tree was so full of apples that she told everyone she knew if they wanted apples they should come and get them before the deer ate them up. I made sure to head over and Could not believe how the branches were just drooping under the weight of all the fruit.

Since we lived in the Sierra mountains, the apples needed to be a variety that could withstand frost. They were Arkansas Blacks, and let me tell you, those apples were so hard it was almost impossible to take a bite out of them. Not like the Pink Lady of Honey Crisp Apples. These were super hard and kind of tart, but they made the best pies and crisps. They might have taken a little extra work but we ended up gathering about 2 laundry baskets full!

This is what Lauren has to say about her Applicious dessert.

“My traditional apple crisp recipe has received rave reviews, and this Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp takes my old favorite to a whole new level! “

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Quick Tip: Want to add a bit of holiday flare? Toss a handful of fresh cranberries into the apple filling.

Image and recipe courtesy of Lauren from Tastes Better From Scratch.

The post One Bite And You Will FALL in Love With This Old Fashioned Dessert appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

What Could Be More American than Apple Pie!

I grew up living near a place called Apple Hill. There were farms that had been in families for generations. You could get fresh pressed cider, caramel dipped apples, apple pies and tons of other apple or pear inspired goodies. Plus, there were bins upon bins of a huge variety of apples.

When I was a teenager I was able to get a job at one of the orchards. I served a lot of pie. Every Sunday night before we would head for home my parents would buy a big box of apples for us to eat during the week. I learned early on that apples were amazing fruit to eat and cook with and would go through the Apple Hill cookbook, trying new recipes. For the longest time, I stuck to the Apple muffins and cake. My mom was the best pie maker in the family. Her crusts were always perfect so I never tried my hand at pie baking.

I felt like anything I made would be only a second-class dessert so just stuck with what I felt comfortable with. A few years ago, I had a bunch of apples and for some reason the thought of those perfect pies just stuck in my head. I lived miles and miles from Apple Hill, but the thought of the perfect wedges caused me to rethink my apprehension of crust making. So, I did it! I looked up a perfect recipe, followed it, and BAM! The best pie ever came out of my oven, and let me tell you, if I can make a perfect pie, you can too!

This is what All Recipes.com has to say about this recipe.

“This was my grandmother’s apple pie recipe. I have never seen another one quite like it. It will always be my favorite and has won me several first-place prizes in local competitions. I hope it becomes one of your favorites as well!”

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Quick Tip: Use good crisp baking apples like a Granny Smith, Arkansas Black, Honey Crisp.

Recipe and image courtesy of All Recipes.com

The post This is The Pie My Grandma Used To Bake appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Ohh Baby, You Are On a Roll. This Pumpkin Dessert Is Addictive

Ohh my goodness! Fall is here and the thought of sipping on hot apple cider with a dash of fresh nutmeg, watching football, and enjoying the cooler weather makes me want to jump into a pile of freshly raked leaves! But the really awesome thing worth FALLing for is this amazing recipe. I have to admit, I had never tried making a roll before.

Sure, I would oh and awe over magazines with pictures of pumpkin rolls, but the thought of actually making one seemed like so much work and something that might only be successful in a “test kitchen”.

I actually read the directions three times just to make sure I understood what I needed to do. The “Roll up in a powdered sugar tea towel kind of stumped me at first. When I rolled up the cake with the filling and it came out perfect I realized the wisdom in letting it cool like that.

Later when I watched a baking show I noticed that several of the contestants just rolled up the cake with the filling after it cooled. Unfortunately, the cake cracked. This method helps you achieve bakery perfection with your very first attempt.

This is what Marci says about this dessert recipe.

-This year I took the challenge. My only thought after finishing up the project was “What took me so long to try it!”

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Quick Tip: You can buy canned pumpkin puree or get a little crazy and make your own from fresh baking pumpkins.

Recipe and image courtesy of Marci at MarciSeither.com

The post I Never Thought I could Make Something This Amazing, But It Was Easier Than I Thought appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

What Happens When A Starbuck Pumpkin Spice Latte Collides With Bread Pudding?

I hadn’t really planned to make a pumpkin bread pudding, but sometimes when you are trying something new and using the ingredients on hand you just stumble across something absolutely mind boggling. That is what happened with this recipe. I had just made some pumpkin muffins the week before and had a half of a large can of pumpkin puree left in the fridge. I also had a loaf of bread that was starting to get a little stale so instead of just chucking it, I made some bread pudding. Pumpkin bread pudding!

It was such a huge hit my family asked me to make it again. This time we had company over and they wanted to know if I would be willing to share the recipe. Yikes! I didn’t even know exactly what the recipe was so I made it again and this time wrote everything down.

Basically, if you have what you need for a pumpkin pie plus some bread you have what you need for this comfort food. And trust me, I have even used day old French baguettes and they worked just fine. Which I think is one of the beautiful aspects about bread pudding. It is simple and resourceful.

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Quick Tip: I love making individual desserts when company comes over. You can divide this into small ramekins or even small wide mouthed canning jars.  For smaller jars you might want to put filled jars or ramekins on a tray and add in ½ inch water to keep from drying out.

Recipe and image courtesy of Marci Seither

The post So Amazing My Family Wants to Eat This For Breakfast and Dessert! And I Let Them appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.