Pumpkin Banana Bread with Cinnamon Swirl

 During autumn this the perfect bread recipe-it's not only healthy because of all the spices but it's moist and in the oven it gives the whole house a warm inviting aroma due to the cinnamon, allspice etc. While you wait for it to cool to put the glaze on its soooo hard to wait because the aroma wraps around your nose and gives it a big kiss.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3/8 teaspoon allspice

3/8 ground cloves

pinch of cardamon [optional]

2 eggs, room temp.

8 oz of canned pumpkin [1 cup or half of 15 oz can]

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup water

1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed

Cinnamon Swirl

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 9X5 loaf pan with baking spray. Set aside.
2. In medium bowl, sift together, salt, soda and flour.
3. Add all the spices to flour mixture and whisk together until blended. Set aside.
4. In small bowl mix together cinnamon swirl and set aside.
5. In large bowl mix together banana, pumpkin and eggs.
6. Add both sugars and beat until blended.
7. Add water, vanilla and oil and mix together.
8. Slowly add flour mixture and beat with electric beater until smooth.
9. Pour half of batter into pan. Sprinkle cinnamon swirl mixture evenly over the batter. 
10. Pour remaining into loaf pan, completely covering swirl mixture. 
11. Bake for 1 hour, or 10 extra minutes if its not done yet if toothpick doesn't come out clean.
12. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. 
13. Whisk together glaze and drizzle over bread. 

Caffeinated Sugar Cookies

 What is the perfect combination [in my opinion] on a day when you need a dosage of caffeine and cookies-CAFFEINATED SUGAR COOKIES!!! I wouldn't recommend sharing these with your kids on the count of they might be bouncing off the walls from the sugar and caffeine. They are a good pick me up.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coffee granules

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

Instructions

1. In bowl of stand mixer or with hand operated mixer cream butter and sugar together.
2. Once it is nice and fluffy beat in egg, coffee and vanilla.
3. Mix until well combined.
4. Stir in soda and salt.
5. Mix in flour slowly until it's just combined.
6. Remove and wrap dough in plastic wrap, place in refrigerator for at least 12 hours. 
7. Preheat oven to 350 F.
8. Form dough into 36 dough balls [about a heaping teaspoon each] and place 2-3 inches apart from each other on lined cookie sheet.
9. Bake 12-13 minutes or until edges are nice and golden brown. 
10. Allow cookies to slightly cool before transferring to cooling rack.