The Best Pumpkin Loaf For Autumn

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You all absolutely loved the Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread recipe I shared a few weeks ago, so in the spirit of Autumn and pumpkin spice season, here is another favorite loaf recipe of mine, Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting. The perfect way to spice up your baking and embrace the Autumn season for pumpkin lovers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Loaf –

  • 1 Cup of Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
  • 1 Cup Pumpkin Purée
  • 1/2 Cup Browned Butter
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/4 Cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting –

  • 6 Oz of Cream Cheese (room temp)
  • 1/4 Cup of Butter (room temp)
  • 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
  • 2 Tablespoons of Milk
  • A Pinch of Salt

Recipe:

Pumpkin Loaf –

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs with the sugar until creamy.

Add melted butter, pumpkin purée and vanilla bean paste to your eggs and sugar mixture.

Add the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients in the large bowl and stir gently to combine with a spatula until the dry ingredients are incorporated. (Do not over mix!)

Pour your batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester is inserted in the center and comes out clean.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for a few minutes once you remove it from the oven. Then remove the loaf from the pan (use the parchment paper to help you remove the loaf from the pan – please be careful when handling the hot pan!)

Allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack completely before adding the frosting so it doesn’t melt.

Cream Cheese Frosting – While Your Pumpkin Loaf Is Cooling

Using a hand beater, beat together the butter and cream cheese until its fluffy.

Add salt, vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar and combine until smooth.

Add your milk as needed until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.

Add the frosting to your pumpkin loaf once it is cooled.

Dust the top with some extra pumpkin pie spice if you want, slice & enjoy!

This Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect pairing with your cup of afternoon coffee or as a sweet treat to enjoy cozied up at home on a cool autumn evening. I hope this recipe brings all of the cozy, autumnal vibes into your home and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Be sure to let me know what you think if you try this recipe out and feel free to share your favorite autumn recipe in the comments!

If you found this post interesting, learned something new, or think of someone who might enjoy reading it, please share this blog post with your family and friends. It means the world to us! You can also leave us a comment to let us know what you learned or share one of your favorite hair care or skin care tips with us. We would love to hear from you!

All my love and have a happy week,

Amanda

Make The Most Of This Autumn Season

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Autumn is a very divided season! Some love it, while others look upon it with dread. For some, it is a refreshing season, the coolness in the mornings and evenings is a welcome change after the heat of the Summer. Others look at the Autumn months as nothing more than the gateway to winter. Too cold. Too gray. Marking the end to yet another gloriously warm Summer. Well, I am here today to do my best to help you embrace the change in season for all it can be – fun, refreshing, cozy, and oh so enjoyable. Here are my top tips for embracing the Autumn months and finding joy in the changing seasons.

1. Nature Walks

There is quite simply nothing like getting outside in October and going for a walk in nature! The vibrant colors all around you, the coolness in the air, and the sounds of nature preparing for a season of rest. There is something truly magical about how the trees put on such a show for us with all of their fiery yellows, oranges, and reds and dark greens. Wether you go with your family, a friend, your kids, or just by yourself, I encourage you to find a nature park or trail near you, get outside, and enjoy a walk surrounded by nature embracing the changing season.

2. Apple Orchards

Nothing screams Autumn quite like going to a good old apple orchard. The kids love it, the adults love it, and even grandma loves the fresh apples she gets to turn into yummy pies, jelly’s, and apple sauces. Find a local apple orchard, pack up the car with your family or friends, bring a picnic lunch, and enjoy a Saturday at the orchard picking apples, eating fresh apple cider doughnuts, and enjoying the cooler weather.

3. A Bonfire Night With Friends and Neighbors

One exciting thing about Autumn is the cooler mornings and evenings! Perfect for a warm bonfire outside with some toasty marshmallows. Invite your friends and neighbors to come over and join you by the fire (maybe with a Hot Toddy in hand) and let yourself relax into the simplicity of the night, the community, and crisp Autumn air.

4. Hot Apple Cider

You can pair this one with the one above, but I thought it was only right to give it it’s own feature spot. Apple cider is an Autumnal staple, some drink it cold (weirdos), while us normal people drink it piping hot. And some even like to spice it up a bit by making a Hot Toddy for a little extra warmth on a cool night. But no matter how you like to enjoy your cider, we can all agree it is a staple in Autumn and there is something both cozy and refreshing about drinking an apple cider a the orchard, around a bonfire, or cozied up on your couch in the evening with a good movie or book.

5. Baking An Autumnal Recipe

There are so many options to choose from, just pick your favorite! Pumpkin, apple, zucchini, molasses, maple, cranberry, and the list goes on. Choose your favorite flavors and spend some time in the kitchen with a candle, a cup of coffee or cider, and bake a delicious Autumnal recipe for your family and friends (or eat it all yourself, there is no judgement here.) Pumpkin loaf with cream cheese frosting. Apple pie with maple ice cream. Chocolate chip zucchini bread. Molasses cookies. Maple brown butter cookies. White chocolate and cranberry scones. Pick your favorite and start baking!

6. Decorate You Home For Autumn

This might be one of my favorite ways to embrace the changing season. I love a fresh space that welcomes the season and brings a bit of newness into my home. And the fun part is, there isn’t just one way to decorate your home! That is entirely up to you and your personal style. You can take inspiration from Pinterest, seasonal home magazines, or home decor shops. Or you can go entirely off the vision in your head! Have fun with it, bring your favorite parts of the season into your home, wether that is pumpkins, oak branches, or wheat. Oranges, greens, or golden yellows. Get creative and have fun! You can also bring Autumn into your home with scents through candles and soaps. Stock your bathrooms and kitchen with Apple Valley Natural Soap Seasonal Fall Soaps like Pumpkin Spice, Spice Cake, and Black Licorice.

Wether you already love the Autumn season or this is a season of dread for you, I hope this blog gave you some inspiration on ways you can embrace the change in season and enjoy it for what it is. A new season, a fresh start, full of new possibilities, and ready for you to make new memories. I hope I was able to help you embrace the change in season for all it can be and you were able to find some good take-aways from my top tips for embracing the Autumn months and finding joy in the changing seasons.

Do you have a favorite way to celebrate the changing seasons, specially this autumn? Share with us in the comments below and let’s start a conversation!

If you found this post interesting, learned something new, or think of someone who might enjoy reading it, please share this blog post with your family and friends. It means the world to us! You can also leave us a comment to let us know what you learned or share one of your favorite autumn hair care or skin care tips with us. We would love to hear from you!

All my love and have a happy week,

Amanda

Our Favorite Soaps For Autumn

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It should be no surprise to any of you that at Apple Valley Natural Soap we love any excuse to celebrate the changing of the seasons. And autumn is no joke around here, we love all things cozy, warm, & pumpkin spice. Give us all the autumnal cozy vibes! This is why we created our Seasonal Fall soap line featuring all of our favorite things about the autumn season. Our Fall soaps are filled with pumpkin, apples, spices and everything we love about the cozy vibes of autumn and they are available now! We make limited batches of these natural Special Edition Soaps for the Fall season, specially formulated to not only bring the warmth of the season into your home, but to give your skin and hair the extra special care needed during the cooler & dryer months. They make the perfect addition to any home during the autumn season and they make amazing gifts for family and friends as well. Our fabulous fall soaps are around for only a limited time so stock up now!

Seasonal Pumpkin Spice Hand & Body Bar

Let’s kick this list off with a crowd favorite, everyones go-to autumn treat, Pumpkin Spice! If you are a pumpkin spice lover, then you will just adore this hand & body bar. Along with pumpkin, we’ve added rich baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and ginger to this amazing soap making this seasonal Pumpkin Spice Soap a feast for your skin. Lots of rich, fluffy lather and the scent of orange and clove will warm your body, heart, and soul. This natural soap bar makes a fun, practical hostess gift during the holiday seasons.

“This soap has an amazing lather and scent. Perfect for cool mornings as a way to start your day. I highly recommend this luxuriant fall special.” – T. Happel

“The scent was amazing and my skin felt clean and fresh.” – J. Yannuzzi

Seasonal Spice Cake Hand & Body Bar

There is nothing quite like a spicy baked treat to get you into the autumn mood! We love to celebrate autumn with a natural soap that smells just like freshly baked spice cake stuffed with ingredients which are good for your skin. Made with apple, spices, moisturizing mango and shea butters, our Spice Cake bar is totally natural and smells just like Grandma’s house on a crisp, autumn day. An added benefit of this bar is the light exfoliation power due to the salt, it makes a wonderful bar to have by the sink, or in the shower. Also, we don’t use any fragrance oil, instead we’ve created a blend of essential oils that smell sweet and spicy. Here for a limited time only, this natural soap bar also makes a fun, practical hostess gift during the holiday seasons.

“Oh my goodness I love the smell of this bar!! So wonderful and perfect for my bathroom sink in the fall!!” – Michelle

Seasonal Black Licorice Hand, Foot & Body Bar

Calling all black licorice lovers! This bar was made for you! The release of this fantastic soap was our first nod to the change of seasons and cooler months. This amazing black licorice soap is for those who simply just LOVE the scent of black licorice. Brace yourself for an incredible licorice scent along with a satisfying exfoliation experience from the black walnut hull powder, which also gives it the dark coloring. Licorice root not only smells great, but has many health benefits. The herb is used directly on the skin to help with eczema, skin rashes, psoriasis, and itchy, dry skin. Black walnut is also regarded to be useful in the treatment of skin diseases and complaints such as eczema, ringworm, athlete’s foot etc. It’s long been used as a natural remedy for acne, canker sores, psoriasis and other fungal infections. There’s nothing like it! Here for a limited time only, this natural soap bar also makes a fun, practical hostess gift during the holiday seasons.

“This is my favorite body bar. Light exfoliation and great for my skin.” – M. Hetrick

“I love the exfoliation, but not too harsh. I enjoy the smell. One of my favorite soaps!” – Melissa

Our Fall Soaps are filled with pumpkin, apples, spices and everything we love about the cozy vibes of autumn and they are available now! We make limited batches of these natural Special Edition Soaps for the Fall season, specially formulated to not only bring the warmth of the season into your home, but to give your skin and hair the extra special care needed during the cooler & dryer months. We are so excited that the autumn season is back again and cannot wait for you to try out our homage to fall with these seasonal, limited edition soaps.

Do you have a favorite way to celebrate the changing seasons, specially this autumn? Share with us in the comments below and let’s start a conversation!

If you found this post interesting, learned something new, or think of someone who might enjoy reading it, please share this blog post with your family and friends. It means the world to us! You can also leave us a comment to let us know what you learned or share one of your favorite autumn hair care or skin care tips with us. We would love to hear from you!

All my love and have a happy week,

Amanda

The Best Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread For Autumn

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With the autumn season right around the corner and autumnal vibes already sneaking into our homes, I thought I would take a bit of a detour from my usual content to share one of my favorite autumn/winter recipes with you all. I mean, if Starbucks has already released their Pumpkin Spice Latte, then I think it’s fair to say that cozy vibes are not far behind. Baking is one of my favorite ways to celebrate and lean into the change of the seasons and this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is the perfect pairing with your cup of afternoon coffee or tea or a sweet treat to enjoy cozied up at home on a cool autumn evening.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/3 cups of flour (You can substitute a 1-to-1 measure gluten free flour if you want to make this recipe gluten free. My personal favorite is King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour.)
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground all-spice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 5 tablespoons of butter (melted)
  • 1 zucchini shredded (about 7 ounces)
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (you can use a bourbon vanilla extract for a little extra flavor)
  • 1/2 cup of buttermilk (You can also use yogurt or even a dairy-free yogurt if you prefer.)
  • 1/2 cup of chopped 70% dark chocolate
  • 1/2 cup of chopped milk chocolate

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and all-spice.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until creamy.

Add your melted butter, shredded zucchini and vanilla to your egg and sugar mixture.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until the flour mixture is just incorporated. (Do not over mix!)

Stir in the buttermilk (or yogurt) until just combined and then add your chopped dark and milk chocolate.

Pour the batter into your parchment paper lined loaf pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Allow your loaf to cool in the pan for a few minutes.

Use the parchment paper to help you remove the loaf from the pan and put it onto a rack to cool completely. (Please be careful when handling the hot pan and bread!)

When you are ready, cut yourself a slice and enjoy as is or with a bit of salted butter. This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is the perfect pairing with your cup of afternoon coffee or tea or a sweet treat to enjoy cozied up at home on a cool autumn evening. I hope this recipe brings all of the cozy, autumnal vibes into your home and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Be sure to let me know what you think if you try this recipe out and feel free to share your favorite autumn recipe in the comments!

If you found this post interesting, learned something new, or think of someone who might enjoy reading it, please share this blog post with your family and friends. It means the world to us! You can also leave us a comment to let us know what you learned or share one of your favorite hair care or skin care tips with us. We would love to hear from you!

All my love and have a happy week,

Amanda