Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Maple Frosted Baked Donuts

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Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

 

If you’re from the Pacific Northwest, you likely know the heaven that is a maple bar. If that’s the case, go ahead and skip ahead to the recipe.

If you’re unlucky enough to have never had a maple bar, let me enlighten you. A maple bar is a donut: The fluffy fried kind, coated with a generous layer of rich, flavorful maple frosting. There aren’t even adequate words to describe how perfect they are. Unfortunately, now that we live in Mississippi, I’m forced to eat my annual allotment during the few weeks out of the year we’re in Oregon.

Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

Because I spend a good portion of my time pining for all things maple, I’ve taken to using it in baked goods. Last year, I made chocolate chip pumpkin scones with maple glaze. This year, it’s these maple frosted baked donuts. While they aren’t quite like eating a genuine maple bar, they’re a pretty darn good substitute.

Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

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Maple-Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

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Forget the hassle of refrigerating and rolling out dough; make these maple-frosted sugar cookie bars instead. The bars are a thick layer of soft and sweet sugar cookie, topped with a rich and unique maple frosting.

Forget the hassle of refrigerating and rolling out dough; make these maple-frosted sugar cookie bars instead. The bars are a thick layer of soft and sweet sugar cookie, topped with a rich and unique maple frosting.

Sugar cookies are one of favorite treats to eat make. They’re a hit just about anywhere I take them and, to be honest, they’re one of my absolute favorite desserts. It just doesn’t get much better than a perfectly-baked sugar cookie- crunchy outer edges, soft interior- spread with homemade frosting.

But, if I’m still being honest, sometimes I’m just not in the mood to make them. They really aren’t that complicated, but the flouring and rolling and cutting involved just seemed too overwhelming to me this past holiday season. The first trimester of this pregnancy is wiping me out, so I was all about shortcuts when it came to Christmas baking. The fact that a shortcut turned into a much raved about treat was an unexpected bonus.

The sugar cookie portion of these bars is great, but the maple frosting stole the show. It’s such a rich, unexpected twist, and it makes these bars smell so good. I brought these to a family gathering, made a batch for my students, and shared them with my coworkers. Each time, the reactions were the same: “Is that maple?” “These are really good!” “This frosting is amazing!”

Don’t be shy about buying a bottle of maple extract. I can think of several ways to use it up, but two of my favorites are these scones and this stove-top potpourri.

Forget the hassle of refrigerating and rolling out dough; make these maple-frosted sugar cookie bars instead. The bars are a thick layer of soft and sweet sugar cookie, topped with a rich and unique maple frosting.

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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

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These moist scones are packed with the warm flavors of pumpkin and chocolate, and drizzled with a rich maple glaze. It doesn’t get any more fall than chocolate chip pumpkin scones with maple glaze.

These moist scones are packed with the warm flavors of pumpkin and chocolate, and drizzled with a rich maple glaze. It doesn't get any more fall than chocolate chip pumpkin scones with maple glaze.

This recipe originated from my desire to make something that combines my three current favorite flavors. Chocolate is always something I’m in the mood for, and right now I’m just as smitten for all things pumpkin as everyone else seems to be. It’s like we all feel this desperate need to cram 12 months of pumpkin eating into the three months that it’s actually socially acceptable.

And then there’s the maple glaze. I grew up in a small town with the best local donut shop. My all-time favorite donut flavor is maple-frosted. It’s a flavor you can’t find on other baked goods, which is kind of okay with me; it belongs on donuts.

Since moving away and leaving those fabulous donuts behind, I’ve been on the lookout for a local version that might come close. I’ve yet to find it, partially because I’ve never even found another maple-frosted donut. I don’t know why donut shops in the south don’t carry that flavor, but they don’t, which means I don’t get a maple fixed.

Unless I make these scones. Don’t get me wrong, the pumpkin and chocolate in the scone itself is rich and moist, but still dense like a scone should be. They’re great on their own, but the maple glaze makes the pastry. It’s a sweet but deep flavor that complements the pumpkin and chocolate. These scones were a hit with my family, even the ones who don’t feel as strongly about maple as I do.

These moist scones are packed with the warm flavors of pumpkin and chocolate, and drizzled with a rich maple glaze. It doesn't get any more fall than chocolate chip pumpkin scones with maple glaze.

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Easy Fall Stovetop Potpourri

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No messy wax or canned smells here. Just a few easy ingredients and a house filled with the crisp fragrance of fall.

No messy wax or canned smells here. Just a few easy ingredients and a house filled with the crisp fragrance of fall.

Stovetop potpourri is one of the prevailing smells of my childhood. I have vivid memories of walking in the door from school and being greeted by the divine scent of simmering cinnamon and fragrant apples.

For the longest time, the moment when I pushed the door open was bittersweet. The potpourri smelled, misleadingly, like delicious baked goods. It was a disappointing thing to realize there were no sweet treats available.

My love of all things autumn grew as I got older. I began to appreciate this easy fall stovetop potpourri for what it is: a creative, economical way to bring your favorite fall scents inside, minus the additives and chemicals of candles and room sprays.

With this potpourri, you don’t have to change wax cubes or make sure you have obscure ingredients on hand. All you need is two minutes and a few pantry staples, and you’re on your way to having a home that smells unmistakably like fall.

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