Baking with Blondie

These pumpkin swirl brownies are something else, my friends. Super rich & moist, and they have the perfect taste of brownie and pumpkin in every bite. Plus, I can never get over that gorgeous swirl on top. It almost pained me to slice into them because they were just too pretty! 

Guys, Fall is here. I can't quite figure out whether I'm super happy about this, or kind of sad. I LOVE summertime. There is always so much to do, and my kids are usually completely worn out by the end of the day from playing around outside as much as possible. I'm going to miss the days at the pool, picnics at the splash pad, and long summer nights. However, fall is quite lovely, and I'm already super excited for all the fun events we have planned in October as a family.  But just for one second, while we are still in the thick of peach season, I wanted to share one more lovely peach recipe to hang on to summer, but also enjoy the juicy fruits early fall has to offer. Harvest season has never tasted so good! 

If it looks like I've been using the same exact linens, dishes, and backdrops for the last few posts and the next few as well... it's because you're totally right. haha.  I don't know if I've mentioned this on the blog yet, but we are currently building a brand new home (we are SO excited!). While we are building, my big brother has been super awesome by letting my little psychotic circus family live in his home with his family. Their home is beautiful and has plenty of space in the basement for our stay (we've gotten so used to being cooped up in a small apartment, we feel like we're living in a palace right now!), and we are seriously eternally grateful for their huge sacrifice this summer in letting us crash their party! Long story short, most of my food photography props are still in boxes while we stay here. So I've been using whatever I can find, including the back of my sister-in-law's metal cookie sheet (my favorite) for backdrops.

Peach season is still in full swing, and I just couldn't let the season pass without sharing a couple new & yummy peach recipes! We grew up with a peach tree right in our backyard, and believe it or not, I wasn't really a fan of peaches. WHAT? I know. Nuts, I was completely nuts, I tell you. I just wasn't a huge fan. Well, just as most taste-buds do, mine changed for the better, and peaches have become one of my very favorite fruits to eat and bake with! I've honestly never made them into a cake before, and this lovely cake right here has changed my mind forever. Move on over peach pie, this peach crumble cake has my heart wrapped right around every slice! 

Okay, I know we've all made a batch of these cookies at one time or another (and if you haven't yet, that needs to change asap, because these cookies are straight up Fall in countless ways), but have we really found that perfect recipe yet? I'm here to tell you, my friends, that these are straight up the best soft pumpkin cookies I've ever had. Why? Here's why: Harmons . Yep, that blessed neighborhood grocery store. You go into the heavenly bakery section, and as early as mid-August, there are those heavenly pillows of pumpkin heaven sitting right there on the table. The softest, most heavenly, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies you've ever laid eyes on - and taste buds on! They are the standard, in my book, and if I could somehow make cookies in my own kitchen that can taste even half as good as them, I'd be set for life. And then recipes like this are found, and you actually do  make cookies that taste EXACTLY like those heavenly pillows of pumpkin he

I still can't believe it's September already. Leaves are already changing up on the beautiful Rocky Mountains to the east, the air during my morning run has more of a cold bite to it these days, a few leaves are already falling off the trees in the backyard here, and my cravings for hot chocolate and hot apple cider are getting stronger and stronger by the minute. Fall must be getting very, very close!  I've never made doughnuts before, except for my homemade french crullers , which are still a favorite doughnut of mine! This time, with Fall being at our door, I wanted to make some doughnuts with pumpkin, and I wanted to try making a deliciously easy baked version of them. These turned out incredible, and I seriously COULD NOT STOP sneaking bites of them. Each doughnut was extremely soft on the inside, but with the buttery cinnamon sugar outside had a light crisp exterior to each one. Serving them without hot chocolate for dunking would be a crime, so hot chocolate

So here we are, at the very first of September! We made it, folks! I can't help but feel like summertime is officially over, and it kind of makes me sad and excited all at the same time. Sad because I love summer so, so much. But I'm also excited because the beginning of September means a few things for us:  1. PUMPKIN FREAKING SEASON.  2. All the baking things. All of them.  3. We are halfway through our house finishing up being built (they're supposed to close November 1st or earlier). We'll see, eh? 4. I don't have to shave my legs. Just kidding. Only a little bit.  5. I'm closer to my half marathon at the end of October (which I was awesome at training for until a week or two ago). Staying up past midnight watching Blue Bloods tends to make the 6am alarm clock less easy to obey.  6. PUMPKIN FREAKING SEASON.  7. All the fun activities that Fall brings: hay rides, fall festivals and carnivals, pumpkin patches, and all that go