~Strawberry Jam~

Homemade strawberry jam always makes me a little nostalgic.  I grew up helping Supermom make jam every year.  We used to make batch after batch after batch of strawberry jam around this time, since it's strawberry season.  You can't hate getting a box of strawberries for $.99 can you?? Strawberries are my favorite :-) Here is to the first batch of the season!

Now normally, the amount I made calls for 4 cups of sugar.  4 CUPS!! That is a lot of freaking sugar.  So...I changed it up a little to make it a little healthier.  Instead of 4 cups of sugar, I used 1 cup of regular granulated sugar, and 1 cup of agave.  My jam may be runnier than others, but it is healthier too.  Sometimes homemade strawberry jam simply has too much sugar.  Ya, it's not sugarless jam, but it's better than 4 cups of sugar!

 

Makes 3 container's/jar's worth

You'll Need:

about 4 c. diced strawberries
1/3 c. ball fruit pectin
1 c. sugar
1 c. agave

Get Busy:


Mash your strawberries (or I put mine in the Blendtec because I like my jam smoother rather than chunky).  Combine the mashed strawberries and pectin in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Slowly add sugar and agave and constantly stir under high heat for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and pour into the containers or jars.  Keep refrigerated once done.  You can use it immediately or you can freeze this jam up to a year, which makes a great gift.  I mean, honestly, who doesn't love homemade jam?

~Almond Sheet Cake~

I have wanted to make this dessert for months now and just never got around to it until yesterday. AND I AM SO GLAD I DID! I have never had a more moist cake in my life. I looooove almond extract, and yes I know the cake isn't chocolate, but trust me. It is literally amazing!! I made this on Sunday for my folks who were coming over for dinner. My dad had two pieces and wanted to take some home! I also took some to Church for my Sunday School class. The boys loved them. I took the rest to work and they were inhaled by noon (except the pieces I hid for myself hehe...). Some of my coworkers requested the recipe, so here you go!

I feel like you can see how moist the cake is even through the picture! SOOOOOO yummy! I have never made a cake before this with such simple ingredients. I didn't have to buy anything at the store--I had everything in my pantry or fridge. Love these recipes!!

Makes 24 servings

You'll Need:

Cake:

1 c. butter

1 c. water

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. sour cream

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Icing:

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. milk

3 1/2-4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

Get Busy:

Cake: Preheat the oven to 375. In a small saucepan, add the water and butter and bring to a boil. In a mixing bowl, add the flour and sugar. Pour the boiling mixture over the flour mixture in the mixing bowl and beat well. Add the baking soda, almond extract, sour cream, and eggs; mix. Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes before you start the icing.

Icing: In small saucepan, bring butter and milk to boil. Add remaining ingredients in large mixing bowl; then add boiling mixture. Stir until well-mixed. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar. It should be pourable though. Pour onto the cake and let sit for at least 20 minutes. Serve with fruit or ice cream or nothing :-)

~Carrot Cake Bars with Cinnamon/Cream Cheese Frosting~

Yep...these are pretty good! Yes yes, I know it's not chocolate, but some desserts without chocolate are still good! I have always loved carrot cake (it's healthy, right? hehe) and anything with a cream cheese frosting has my attention. How could anything with a cream cheese frosting taste bad?? I made these for my parents when they came for dinner on Sunday. I accidentally made them in the wrong-sized pan so they were thicker than they were supposed to be. Ha, whoops. Better luck next time, Ang. I would recommend these for any dessert for home or for a party. Everyone will like them!

Makes 48 bars

You'll Need:

Bars:

1 box Betty Crocker carrot cake mix

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

3 Tbs. milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. maple extract

Frosting:

1 pkg (8 0z.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened

2-3 tsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

4 c. powdered sugar

Get Busy:

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 15x10x1 inch pan with baking spray; then flour. In a large bowl, beat the bar ingredients until blended. Pour into the pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until top is evenly golden brown and the bars spring back lightly when touched. Do NOT overcook or else they will be dry. Frown face. Cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, milk, vanilla and cinnamon with a mixer until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar until smooth. Spread the frosting over the bars evenly. Enjoy!

~Chocolate Mint Brownies~

These are the best brownies ever!!! Oh these are my favorite brownies, and one my most favorite chocolate desserts. This is a true Hoover recipe (I have no idea where my mom got it to be honest). I have made these many, many times, but the other day I made these for my office and they were inhaled by morning. I had to hide the rest of the pan to save some for Jeremy. When my mom made these when all the kids lived at home, we would fight over the pan for the leftover scraps of chocolate and frosting. (Remember that guys?)

So you start with the brownie base, made from scratch. This recipe is way easy; it just takes some time because there are three layers.

After the brownie base has cooled, spread the homemade frosting on top, and let it cool. I was in a rush making this because I wanted to go to bed, so I threw the pan in the freezer so it would cool faster.

Once the frosting is more firm, spread the chocolate frosting on top, and refrigerate. Refrigerating the brownies once they are done will make the chocolate topping harder--which is better.

You want to be careful when spreading the chocolate topping--you don't want to mix the green layer and the chocolate layer. Wait for the chocolate layer to cool a little bit.

You'll Need:

Brownie:

1 c. margarine

2 squares semisweet Baker's chocolate

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

3/4 c. walnuts, chopped (optional)

Green Frosting:

2 c. powdered sugar

2-4 Tbs. evaporated milk

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

4 Tbs. butter

green food coloring

Icing:

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

4 Tbs. melted butter

Get Busy:

Melt the margarine in medium-sized bowl. Add the chocolate squares and melt in the microwave. Do NOT microwave more than 30 seconds at a time or else the chocolate will burn. Cool slightly. Add sugar, eggs and remaining ingredients. Bake in a 9x13 pan for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely.

Combine ingredients for frosting and spread over brownies.

Icing: Melt the two together until completed melted (either in microwave or on stove) and spread over the frosting layer. Put the brownies in the refrigerator to cool completely. Done!

~Caramel Cinnamon Rolls~

Oh. My. Gosh!!!!! These are so uh-MAZING! Caramel cinnamon rolls are a different take than normal cinnamon rolls--there is no cream cheese involved. Cream cheese got ousted by a phenomenal homemade caramel sauce. I dated a guy in high school whose dad makes these bad boys. I wanted the recipe in high school, but he said I had to marry into the family to get them. My mom however, finally snagged the recipe from him. Yesssss. This recipe made about 30 good-sized rolls. I took them to work and they were gone in a flash (and not everyone got one). So I'll be taking another pan to work tomorrow (also so I don't eat them all...) Oh these were soooo sooo good.

I will say, it is a wise idea to make these on a weekend when you don't have a ton going on...Total time, these take almost 4 hours to make from start to finish...and honestly, it is worth every minute of the time.

Ohhh look at the caramel goodness...nom nom nom.

I honestly can't say enough of these. Much thanks to the Coelhos for letting my family have this recipe! I personally have never loved cinnamon rolls, but these in my opinion are much better than original cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting.

Makes about 30 rolls

You'll Need:

2 packets of quick-rise yeast

10 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. milk

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. oil

1 egg

1 Tbs. salt

Caramel Sauce:

2 sticks of butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 Tbs. Karo syrup

Other Ingredients Needed:

1 stick of butter

Sugar/cinnamon mixture (a lot)

Get Busy:

Dough: Place 1 tsp. sugar and two packets of yeast in 1 c. lukewarm water. Let stand 10 minutes. Heat 2 c. milk but not to boiling. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, oil, egg and salt. Add the warm milk; then add the yeast. Add 8 c. flour and knead in the last 2 cups. The dough should be sticky. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic-like. Place in a buttered bowl and let rise for 2 hours, covered, until it is doubled in size. Punch down; let rest for 10 minutes.

Sauce: Melt 2 sticks of butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar and Karo syrup. Cook on low but DO NOT boil--maybe 10 minutes; set aside. Lightly flour the counter. Roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread one stick of room-temperature butter across the dough. Cover with a cinnamon/sugar mixture (heavy on the cinnamon)--and seriously, put a lot. Roll; cut about 1 inch thick with a fishing line or floss. Place in a buttered pan. Coat the rolls with half of the caramel. Let rise for 45 minutes to an hour. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Start checking them at 15 minutes. Once done, cover them with foil and flip them upside down (I didn't do this part because I was taking them to work the next day and wanted to keep them in the pan). Coat with remaining caramel. For extra saucy/caramely rolls, double the sauce. I promise you won't regret making these!

~Hoover Lemon Bars~

In my most humble opinion, these are the best lemon bars ever!!!!! I have tasted many lemons bars in my day, and most of the time I don't even like them in comparison to these. They are delicious, very easy to make and practically impossible to mess up. I have been making these lemon bars since I was about 9 or 10, and everyone I have ever made them for has liked them (except that one time I burnt them...whoops).

First, make the crust--with butter/margarine, flour, and powdered sugar. Press into a 9x13 pan an bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

After the crust is in the oven, prepare the top: eggs, baking powder, flour, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.

The color should look very yellow. Make sure to mix it once more right before pouring it over the crust.

Pour on the hot crust and bake for another 25 minutes. Once done, the lemon bars will look bubbled on top--perfectly normal.

Once the bars have cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top, cut and serve. Or...grab a fork and just dig in to the pan. That's what I usually do!

You'll need:

Crust:

2 c. flour

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 c. butter or margarine

Top:

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. lemon juice (roughly two large lemons)*

1+ Tbs. lemon zest

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the crust ingredients together, mixing in all of the flour. Press into a 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Mix the top ingredients together with a whisk or hand mixer. Pour the mixture onto the hot crust and put right back into the oven for 25 more minutes. IMPORTANT: Do NOT use store bought lemon juice--it is nasty, and will make your lemon bars taste like crap-ola! The secret to really good lemon bars is fresh lemon juice. I firmly believe anyone who likes lemon bars will love this recipe.

*The lemon in this recipe can also be swapped out with lime and lime zest. Try it both ways--it's amazing.

~Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake~

{Courtesy of alexandracooks.com}

Uh-MAZING!!! I couldn't believe how delicious this cake was!  The office where I work threw a Christmas party and we all brought some food to share. Most people brought store-bought items, and some people made food as well.  I was so excited to try this recipe on my co-workers because I'm still pretty new there and I really wanted to impress everyone!  I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course) and luckily my sister-in-law had just made it and said it was to die for.  It really is to die for!  My pictures of this didn't do the cake justice, so I've posted some pictures from the website I found this recipe.  I modified the cake to make it healthier, and it was still amazing.  Don't be afraid to try healthier options of unhealthy food!  It's still scrumptious! And it's not as bad for you as it would have been with the original recipe.

serves 6-8

you'll need:

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon or orange zest

1 c. sugar, plus 1 Tbs. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (will taste great, I promise!)*

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 c. fresh blueberries

1/2 c. buttermilk**

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter with the zest and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  

If you like thicker cake, use a 9 inch square pan; if you like thinner cake and need to feed more people, use a 9x13 size pan.  Grease your pan, and spread the batter into the pan evenly {the batter should be way thick).  Sprinkle the remaining Tbs. of sugar onto the batter, and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Insert a toothpick to check if it's done--the toothpick should come out clean.  Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

*If you use regular enriched white flour, use 2 cups. 

**Supermom taught me a wonderful trick to buttermilk.  You do not have to buy buttermilk at the store!  Make it yourself:  If a recipe calls for 1 c. buttermilk, take a 1 cup measurement, add 1 Tbs. of vinegar.  Fill the rest of the measurement up with milk.  Let it sit for maybe 20-30 minutes.  There you go.  Never buy buttermilk again.

~English Toffee~

Supermom's recipe. I think she got it from Moses....it's a really old recipe. And it's every bitfabulous!!!! Who knew toffee was so ridiculously easy to make? It takes 3 ingredients to make the toffee part, plus chocolate and nuts. It ain't gonna brake the bank. I carry all of the ingredients for this in my kitchen anyway. The only tough part to making toffee is taking it off the heat at the right time. If you take it off too soon, it will bend instead of breaking. If you take it off too late, it will smoke and burn and taste like bum! Thankfully, I have made this with Supermom on numerous occasions, so I have learned from the master on proper cooking color.

If you like your toffee thin, pour it over more foil space and nuts. I personally prefer my toffee a little thicker, which makes less (but then you feel better at only sneaking 5 pieces instead of 6....)

The magical caramel brown color it should be right before you remove it from the heat. If it starts to smoke, take it off!! I know there is a more sophisticated way to make this e.g. with a candy thermometer, but I don't have one. So if you don't have one, this is the easiest way to do it.

Once you pour the toffee on the chopped almonds, sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. Let them melt for a few minutes, then spread the chocolate with a knife, until the toffee is covered.

Then sprinkle some chopped almonds across the top! Put it in the fridge to cool a little and then break it apart and inhale it as fast as you can. :-)

you'll need:

1 c. salted butter

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

about 1 1/2. c. almonds, chopped

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

get busy:

Chop the nuts. Place most of the chopped nuts on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Combine the butter and sugar in a medium sauce pan or pot and medium high heat. Stir constantly until "the stuff follows the spoon" my mom would say.* Once the coloring turns caramel brown, remove it from the heat. Carefully add vanilla (it can splash) and quickly stir. Pour toffee over chopped nuts. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee. Once they have melted, spread them evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle remaining chopped nuts. Refrigerate for about 10-20 minutes or until chocolate is cold. Break up the toffee into small sizes. I like to put mine in a cute Christmas container, but now I will put this new batch in a special place where Jeremy won't find it hehe. Serves 2. Just kidding; it makes more than that. However, at my home, it serves 1 and a half...

*DO NOT a metal spoon to stir the toffee. It will get too hot. DO NOT use a plastic spoon. My mom did that once and the toffee gets so hot that the plastic spoon melted in it! ONLY USE a wooden spoon. Don't say I didn't warn you.

~Key Lime Pie~

I can't remember what website I got this recipe from, but I do remember it had over 1,000 five star reviews!! You know it has to be good! I hadn't ever had key lime pie before, but due to my recent obsession with limes and a purchase of 21 limes for 97 cents at a grocery sale (yeah that's right), I decided to make one. To clarify, this is not a true key lime pie, but rather lime pie. Key limes com from the Florida Keys and are somewhat difficult to find in southern California this time of year. However, this pie still tasted extraordinary and is the easiest thing to make. In fact, my family gobbled it up for Thanksgiving (pun intended) so quickly that I only got a couple bites! I have already had numerous requests to make it again for our upcoming Christmas party.

This is post-baked. Do NOT brown the pie when baking it. It's only cooked for a few minutes, then chilled in the refrigerator.

I think next to French silk chocolate pie, this is my favorite pie!

you'll need:

1 9 in. graham cracker crust (I made mine)

1/2 c. sour cream

3/4 c. fresh lime juice (MUST be fresh!)*

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 Tbs. grated lime zest

whipped cream (optional)

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into gram cracker crust. Bake for 5-8 minutes. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie in the fridge until cold and serve cold. Garnish with whipped cream if you want. We had homemade whipped cream on top, which I would highly recommend. This pie will literally be a huge hit at any party, gathering or dessert; I promise!

*When squeezing the lime juice, it took me about 10 good-sized limes to get 3/4 c. If you use key limes, you will need about 20. They are much smaller.

~Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies~

Finally! A chocolate chip cookie that I love and can bake at the same time! My sister and brother make delicious cookies but for some reason, whenever I try to bake them, they don't turn out. Here is a chocolate chip cookie recipe that turned out amazing (and yes, passed the hubby test). Some people prefer their chocolate chip cookies to be hard, but I like mine soft and chewy--almost undercooked. A pet peeve of mine is when cookies are made with margarine. NOOOOO! They must be made with butter!! They taste differently, I promise. Butter is the way to go, and there is just no replacement. I made these tonight with mostly whole wheat flour and a little white flour (heehee the husband didn't know!) and you could not tell a difference. I am making the slow switch to all whole wheat in my home for everything I cook/bake because it is healthier. We'll see how long I can make it before Jeremy notices/complains.

I made half a recipe, and used an ice cream scooper to ensure all cookies are the same size. I like my cookies bigger. So a half recipe with bigger cookies made 9--perfect, so I won't eat too many!

Bake anywhere from 8-13 minutes. It really depends on your oven. Because I make my cookies a little bigger, they take a little longer to bake.

Golden on the outsides, soft n' gooey on the inside.

I am a firm believer in bittersweet or at least 60% cacao. That's the good stuff. I grew out of milk chocolate a while ago. Besides, bittersweet chocolate is actually a little healthier for you, too!

you'll need:

3/4 c. salted butter

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar, or agave

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use my homemade vanilla)

2 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl, cream the butter with the sugars. Add egg and vanilla; mix. Add the rest of the ingredients. Plop whatever size cookies you want on to an ungreased cookie sheet. I highly recommend air-bake cookie sheets. It is nearly impossible to burn the bottom of your cookies with these amazing cookie sheets. I also recommend using an ice cream or cookie dough scooper to all the cookies come out the same size*. Bake for 8-13 minutes, depending on how big the cookies are; let cook for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

*Christmas gift idea: make these cookies. Take a Pringles can and cover it with cute wrapping paper or scrapbook paper. Put your homemade cookies inside and it's a cutely wrapped gift for someone and a container to keep the cookies fresh!

~Pumpkin Bread~

Well, this is my absolute FAVORITE pumpkin bread recipe ever! I have tried so many differeny pumpkin breads from lots of different ladies, and I still stick the same recipe I have from Supermom. In my opinion, nothing beats this recipe. I made it as one huge loaf, but I would recommend making this recipe in 5 small loaf pans and giving them away to neighbors or friends. They will love it!

Pumpkin bread without chocolate chips is like cookies without eggs or flour. They are a must! This bread is especially good warm, so the chocolate is melted and oozy. MMMMM.

Combine and mix all of the ingredients in a mixer well, so there are no chunks of pumpkin or shortening.

My bread split a little at the top because I kept taking it out every 5 minutes to check if it was done. Ha, learn from this: if you cook this entire recipe in one pan as I did, cook it for a good hour! Maybe more! When you bake them in 5 small loaves, they cook in about 30 minutes.

you'll need:

2/3 c. shortening (white)

2 2/3 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 can Libby's pumpkin

2/3 c. water

2 1/3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

get busy:

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer, cream shortening and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture into well-greased bread loaf pans. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. If you are making this in one big bread pan, cook for at least an hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. That's it! Easy, right??

~Halloween Graveyard Dessert~

My family acquired this recipe many years ago. I still remember the first time we made this; we couldn't get enough of it. I spent the weekend at my parents' the other weekend, and I requested we make it together, as it is an October tradition! I must say, my brother Andrew makes it the best (because he is a perfectionist and he just makes it look perfect), but Supermom and I got it down last time. It is such an easy recipe; it just takes time to make it because each layer needs to refrigerate/set up. Halloween Graveyard is definitely a good go-to recipe for a family dinner or party. In my opinion, any dessert that calls for Oreos will probably be fantastic. This one is no exception!

Look at all of those layers of yumminess.

Once the Oreo layer is refrigerated and jello has refrigerated, pour the jello mix into the pan...and refrigerate again.

Once the jello layer has set up, spread the cool whip over it carefully so you don't ruin the jello.

Make sure the cool whip layer is even.

Add the rest of the Oreo crumbs onto the top. You can stick Milano cookies into the top that say 'R.I.P' on them to make it a true 'graveyard.'

you'll need:

2 1/4 c. crushed Oreos (or more), divided

1/2 c. sugar, divided (I like to use xagave (better for you than sugar)

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 8 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened

1 8 oz. reduced fat tub of cool whip

2 c. boiling water

1 6 oz. orange jello mix

1 1/2 c. cold water with ice

get busy:

Mix 2 cups of crushed Oreos with 1/4 c. sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into a 9x13 pan. You want enough butter for the mixture to be wet, but not so much that it's soupy. Refrigerate. Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/4 c. sugar and 1/2 of the whipped topping. Spread over chilled crust. Boil 2 c. water and stir in jello mix for 2 minutes. Add ice water and stir until thickened a bit.

Put jello in fridge for 30 minutes to thicken a bit before spooning over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 2 hours or so or until jello is set. Spread on remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with remaining Oreo crumbs. Enjoy!

Thanks Mom for making this with me. Love you lots.

~Pumpkin Cream Cheese Rolls~

I seriously love trying new recipes. I tried 3 new recipes today (and even though I overcooked one and half-botched another, they all still turned out amazing). Lately, nothing makes me happier than a dish turning out well. This afternoon I made pumpkin spiced cream cheese rolls. They could serve as a dessert or for breakfast, but since I had already had a snack and a smoothie, I decided I couldn't wait till dessert to inhale these pumpkin-tasting goodies. They are really easy to make; I think it took less than 15 minutes to get them in the oven. If you want an easy roll recipe, here it is.

(Picture courtesy of picky-palate.com) I didn't get a good picture of my rolls.

Roll out both crescent rolls to form 4 long lines/rectangles. Pinch together the seams.

Add cream cheese, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar and mix together.

Spread the mixture onto the crescent rolls.

Leave a half inch on the edges so you can roll them up. Roll them the long way.

I used floss to cut the 1 inch pieces, and even though it was mint-flavored, you couldn't taste it on the rolls at all.

I left a hole in the middle so in case I wanted to put something cute or fruit in the middle, I could.

Tada!

you'll need:

rolls:

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls (8 count each)

4 oz. fat free cream cheese

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. canned pumpkin (I use Libby's)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg (if you have it, I didn't and it was still yummy)

icing:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbs. canned pumpkin

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the crescent rolls into 4 long rectangles. Pinch the seams together, and make sure to do a good job, otherwise it will affect the rolling later. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the mixture over the crescents leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Roll up the crescent rectangles starting at the long end. Use floss to cut 1 inch pieces. You should finish with 16 rolls. Place rolls in 2 separate 8 inch greased pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Don't let them overcook like I did!

Remove rolls and let them cool a little, then spread the icing over them.

Icing: In a small bowl, mix together all 4 ingredients until smooth; spread over rolls.

These were really fun to make and tasted oh so good. Not to mention, our home smelled phenomenal.