Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake
I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, but I changed it to cut down the sugar and add some whole grains. This is the adapted recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups canola oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 T. Pure Maple syrup
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in optional pecans or chocolate pieces. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

Frosted Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Cooking time: 12-15 min

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat together:

1 cup Canned pumpkin (Or blended banana squash)

1 cup Brown Sugar

½ cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Add in and stir together:

2 cups white or whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ginger

1 cup chocolate chips (any kind)

Place large balls of sticky dough about 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Cookies do not spread or change shape while baking.

Cook for 12-15 min. at 350 degrees. (a little longer is also ok)

Recipe from Lindsay

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat together:

8 oz. cream cheese softened

4 T. butter softened

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Dirt Brownies

Peggy’s Best Zucchini Brownies

Serves 24—Can be doubled to fit jelly roll pan
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
2 T vanilla
1/2 cup oil
2 cups peeled and grated zucchini
Combine dry ingredients. Add vanilla, oil and zucchini and mix well. Bake in un-greased 9x13 pan at 350 for about 30 min-utes. Frost with the following:
Boil 1 square butter and 1/2 cup milk for 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup cocoa and enough powdered sugar for spreadable consistency.

Notes:
You know I am always in the market for a good recipe that tastes yummy when hot and a little like dirt when cooled. These actually never taste much like dirt. I will not hold that against them...

Plus, there are Zucchinis everywhere around here.

Gretel claims that grated apple works instead of zucchini, too. Decrease sugar in the recipe since apples are sweeter.