Pumpkin Espresso Bread

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Pumpkin Espresso Bread

Pumpkin Espresso Bread

I am beginning to feel like a bit of a hypocrite. After spending the majority of the summer in a heat induced stupor, I was ready for fall. I was ready to embrace wearing pants and drinking hot beverages, going outside without breaking into a sweat, and sleeping under the bed covers instead of on top of them. I often whined about the heat of summer to anyone who would listen until I couldn't find anyone to listen to my grievances anymore. I secretly wished for snow and cold winds as I sat in front of an industrial fan.

And now, on the first real day of fall weather, I must eat my words.

Pumpkin Espresso Bread Pumpkin Espresso Bread

This morning was genuinely cold. In the middle of the night, I had pulled the covers up to the tip of my nose, trapping the heat under the blankets. When my alarm went off with a loud beep, I snaked a hand out to turn it off and immediately brought it back into the warmth of the blankets. The shock of chilled air was unexpected. I groaned audibly, wanting to stay beneath the covers forever, dreading the moment when I would have to leave the sanctuary of my bed. After a few minutes of indulging myself, I finally pulled off the covers and crawled out of bed.

Breakfast has an uncanny ability to lure me out from the land of dreams.

Pumpkin Espresso Bread

Even though my body may not be ready for the shock of crisp air, my taste buds are more than ready for autumn to arrive. I'm looking forward to roasting freshly picked apples in the oven with a little brown sugar. I'm looking forward to devouring warm rice pudding, sprinkled with a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Most of all, I'm looking forward to eating anything and everything with pumpkin (so much, in fact, that I jumped the gun and started stocking my cupboards with cans of pumpkin early this year).

After making most of this Pumpkin Espresso Bread disappear in less than a day, I feel like beginning autumn baking early was an excellent decision.

Pumpkin Espresso Bread

Pumpkin Espresso Bread is the quintessential loaf of autumn. With the flavors of my favorite coffee house drink in mind, I infused espresso into pumpkin bread batter and topped the loaf with a brown sugar espresso crumble before baking. In the oven, half of the crumble soaks into the top of the bread while the other half stays sweet and crunchy on top. The pumpkin bread is incredibly moist, with a tender crumb, and strong flavors. I would be surprised if this lasted more than a day in your house.

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Brown Butter Pear Muffins

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Brown Butter Pear Muffins

Brown Butter Pear Muffins

Pears are easily one of the most delicate fruits. The elegant teardrop shape bruises with the push of a thumb. A ripe pear is elusive; always too firm or over ripe, it can make finding a beautifully ripened pear feel like winning a small lottery. The juice is sweet, the flesh is soft, and the subtle fruit, once dangling from a branch in an orchard, is suddenly capable of stealing a moment.

In the fall, I love to fill my grocery basket with apples and pears. The two fruits contrast nicely against one another—one fruit firm, the other one soft, one sweet, one tart—but it is the pear I look forward to most. Cut into at just the right moment, it can taste like a work of art.

Brown Butter Pear Muffins Brown Butter Pear Muffins

Pears, chocolate, and brown butter is a flavor combination I've visited before. In the early years of this blog, when the photography was embarrassing and my ability to weave a story was just developing, I made a Bittersweet Chocolate Pear Cake for one. I had just moved to a new country on my own, in a city where I didn't speak the language. Settling into my new apartment, I started by emptying my suitcases, assembling the new furniture delivered from IKEA, and purchasing a gallon of gray paint to cover the orange on my bedroom walls.

Before popping open the lid on the paint can, I went to the kitchen and turned on the oven.

Brown Butter Pear Muffins

As I spent the next few days locked up in my room with a paintbrush in hand, I alternated between listening to music and the rhythmic French voices in the apartment below mine. The cake I had made just for myself was eaten in slivers, with a fork to carve out the pieces instead of a knife. Over the course of painting and unpacking, I created a new beginning for myself, starting a new chapter to fill out the pages of my new life.

Though the cake was a simple cake with sincere flavors, the cake intertwined itself into the memories of those early moments of a life on my own. I can only look back on those days fondly, remembering the forkfuls stolen as the sun was rising and my neighbor's voices drifted in through the open windows.

Brown Butter Pear Muffins

Brown Butter Pear Muffins are a healthier take on a memorable cake. The depth of flavor comes from the browned butter, which has a rich nuttiness and complexity. Freshly diced pears are added to the batter along with enough miniature chocolate chips to bring in a subtle chocolate flavor without becoming overwhelming. I left the skins on the pears as a personal preference, but you can easily peel them if you choose. The muffins hold more flavor than they appear, rounding out any breakfast or afternoon snack.

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Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones

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Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones

Sometimes I try to do too much. At times, it can be by choice. It's not unusual for me to stay up late to type out a few paragraphs of a story I want to share with you. On most occasions, however, I do too much out of necessity. It comes with the territory of managing being a full-time student and juggling two part-time jobs. When I'm not buried in a textbook or typing up an essay, I'm neglecting the household chores, allowing the dirty dishes to pile up in the sink and the dust to settle on the end tables. The balance in my life is missing. I'm not sure when the balance began to teeter or when it plans to return, but I do hope it happens soon.

I feel like "trying to do too much" seems to be the motto for many people. We may not always have our sanity, but at least we have solidarity.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones

During times of stress, I often forget that it's important to take time to enjoy the small moments. These moments may not feel significant in the grand scheme of things, but in the present they are a soothing presence. The scent of the change of the seasons blowing in the wind. Singing along when my favorite song comes on the car's radio. Leftovers waiting in the refrigerator after an evening of working late.

The beauty harbored in a light morning rain.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones

I woke up to dim skies and the sound of rain beating against the sidewalk. It was a quiet morning, somehow made quieter by the steady music outside the window. I could have had a bowl of cereal and settled into a morning of work, but I refrained. Morning rain can be rarity in the Midwest; it felt shameful not to take the time to revel in nature's languid drizzle.

I turned on the oven and made a batch of scones. The scones weren't complicated or elaborate; they were rustic, with rough edges and imprecise cuts. I didn't need them to be perfect. They just needed to be honest.

I savored a scone in the cloudiness of the morning, taking my time to enjoy the softness of each bite, before cracking open a textbook and starting another day. The moment may have been small, but it was exactly what I needed.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones are simple and unpretentious. The scones come together easily with a little butter, a little cream, and whole wheat flour to add a more robust flavor. The scones are not terribly sweet, but I don't think they need to be. A scattering of chocolate chips brings all the sweetness an early morning needs.

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