Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, 4 tablespoons melted butter, maple syrup and egg until frothy and blended. Fold in dry ingredients, then corn, cheese and chives.

3. Remove pan from the oven; add the remaining tablespoon of butter and swirl it around to melt. Scrape batter into the hot pan; smooth the top. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until just firm to the touch and browned on the edges.

TIP: Serve cornbread warm or at room temperature.

FALL

Carrot Cake Muffins

Perfect for brunch or bake sales, this big-batch nutty muffin will please the whole crowd.

Makes 16

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 cup carrots, grated (about 2 carrots)

1 tart apple, unpeeled and shredded

½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

½ cup sweetened coconut, shredded

½ cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, cream oil, butter and sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Beat in vanilla, banana, carrots and apple. Remove from mixer; fold in dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in nuts, coconut and cranberries.

3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 22 minutes, until golden but still just slightly undercooked in the center. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

TIP: Transform these muffins into cupcakes by topping them with cream-cheese icing.

FALL

Elephant Ear Pull-Apart Bread

Finger food! Serve this fun sweet bread at a party and let your guests peel off their pieces.

Makes 1 loaf

Dough

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering bowl and greasing pan

⅓ cup whole milk

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2¾ cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus additional for pan and rolling out

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 envelope (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

Filling

1 cup light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. In a small saucepan, warm butter and milk until butter melts. Stir in ¼ cup water and vanilla. Let sit for 5 minutes, until just warm.

2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, mix 2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. With mixer speed on low, beat in warm butter mixture and eggs until combined. Dough will be sticky. Add remaining ¾ cup flour and beat until a wet dough forms. Scoop dough into a buttered bowl. Flip dough to coat; cover tightly with plastic and a dishcloth. Let rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour, until doubled in size.

3. Butter and lightly flour a 9-by-5-inch baking pan. Lightly press on risen dough to deflate; scrape onto a well-floured surface. Roughly knead a few times, then roll out into a 12-by-20-inch rectangle. Let dough sit 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough vertically into 6 equal strips. Stack strips on top of each other. Cut this stack into six equal squares. You will have 6 stacks of 6 squares.

5. Pick up each square stack and place it on its side in the prepared pan, like arranging books on a shelf. You may need to push the dough back in order to fit in all the stacks. Cover the pan with a dish towel and let it rise for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover the pan; bake 35 minutes, until golden brown and baked through. Let the bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a metal spatula around the edges of the bread to release it from the pan. Invert the bread onto a wire rack.

TIP: Bread tastes best the day it’s made, but you can complete the recipe through step 5, then refrigerate the dough overnight. Let the dough sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before baking.

FALL

Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins

Celebrate the flavors of fall (and a popular coffee shop order!) with these spicy muffins.

Makes 9

Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup light-brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie mix)

Glaze

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

1½ tablespoons hot coffee

½ cup powdered sugar