Baking Weather

I baked all day on a rainy Thursday  last week and woke up the next day to fresh snow in the Tetons.  I like to think it was my baking frenzy that is to be credited (or blamed) for our early September snow.  

It's pumpkin bread weather. Chocolate chip cookie weather.  The weather I have been craving.  Summer is great, but hot and sunny days can get a bit tedious. When it is a beautiful summer day in the Tetons, there is no good time to bake. 

In the fall, we get just the right combination of stellar warm, sunny days and rainy, snowy days perfect for baking all sorts of things.   Of course, this week it is the best of Indian summer, so you do not want to bake, you want to go fishing.  Save these recipes for the next rainy day.  

I will share with you the results of my baking frenzy. I should warn you that these recipes will provide you with enough bread and cookies to stash in your freezer for months.  Then when it really snows, you can spend more time skiing, and less time baking.


I have been eating Aunt Carol's Pumpkin Bread for as long as I can remember. For those of you who have my cookbook you will find the recipe next to the picture of Holden pulling the guts out of a pumpkin. Don't worry, you won't have to cut up a pumpkin; canned pumpkin works perfectly fine. 

Oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies will make your family very, very happy. I like to fool myself into thinking that they are a healthy sort of cookie.  

Happy baking!

Aunt Carol's Pumpkin Bread

This recipe makes 6 small loaves, or 4 small and one large loaf, or 3 large loaves.  You could also make a gazillion pumpkin muffins if you are into that sort of thing.


Before you make the Pumpkin Bread, you will need to make some Raisin Juice.  
This is Aunt Carol's secret ingredient.  I have never made this without the raisin juice; it is a family tradition not to be messed with.   But I imagine you could substitute water for the same amount, but it may not have that deep orange color. 

Raisin Juice

• 2 cups raisins (you can use the old dry ones you have lurking in your cupboards)
  
• boiling water

1. Place raisins into a pint or quart sized jar.
2. Cover with boiling water.
3. Steep overnight (or at least for a few hours).  Strain.  Discard raisins.
4. Use 1 cup for the pumpkin bread recipe; freeze the rest for other baking projects, or to put in a smoothie.  

For the Pumpkin Bread:

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 1lb. 13 oz. can pumpkin
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup raisin juice
• optional:  1 cup raisins or currants, or 1 cup  mini chocolate chips, or 1 cup chopped walnuts. (Chocolate chips always win at our house).
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 5 (or more) cups all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease your baking pans with Crisco, or butter liberally.
3. Mix sugar, salt, eggs, pumpkin, canola oil and raisin juice in a standing mixer, or a large (really large) bowl.  
4. Add dry ingredients and enough flour to make a thick batter. (At this altitude, I use all 5 cups, and a bit more at the end if it looks too wet.)
5. Add chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts.
6. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans, filling each about 1 inch from the top.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes for small loaves, 1 hr or more for large loaves.  Test a few minutes before done with a wooden skewer.  If they are still jiggling on top and the skewer is wet, then give it more time. 

I like to use mini chocolate chips in my pumpkin bread, but regular sized chips will work just fine.

Aunt Carol's Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate chips: irresistable!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe makes 5-6 dozen cookies.  I usually cook a few batches, and then roll the rest of the dough into walnut-sized balls and freeze in ziploc baggies. When you are in the mood for another batch, the cookie dough will thaw out quickly and be ready to go. 

• 3 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups chocolate chips

1. Mix flour, baking soda, salt.  Add rolled oats.
2. In a standing mixer or a large bowl, mix the butter with the sugars.  Add the peanut butter, and mix well.  Add the vanilla and the eggs, beating well with each egg. 
3. Add the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips.  Mix it all up, but don't overmix.  
4. Now the hard part:  Chill for 2 hours.  Go for a bike ride to work off all the cookie dough you just ate! 
5. Form dough into walnut-sized balls and place on cookie sheets.
6. Bake 375 degrees for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are toasty brown.   Do not overbake.  The cookies should be not quite done when you pull them out of the oven, and they will finish cooking on the hot cookie sheet.
7. Cool on a baking rack, if you have one.  Share liberally.

I am about to make the guys painting my house very happy...