When warm weather is replaced with cooler days, warm drinks and fleece, I love baking with pumpkin spice. Here are two seasonal favorites, Morning Glory Muffins and Fresh Apple Bars. After 30 years, with my food processor I traded in for a new one so grating carrots is much easier. The grated carrots provide a soft texture and moisture and great source of Vitamin A or carotene to these breakfast muffins.

Morning Glory Muffins

All you need:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup all purpose flour (can substitute with 1/ 4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup all purpose flour)

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/3 cup walnuts

2 large peeled carrots, grated

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup canola, olive or vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoon ground flax or 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat six cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Use a food processor, grate 2 peeled carrots and set aside. In large bowl, add flour, salt, baking soda, pumpkin spice, oats and orange zest. Mix the grated carrots into dry ingredients. In another bowl or food processor, mix the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the egg/oil mixture. Add the flax and chopped walnuts. Divide the batter into 6 muffins cups and bake for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Nutrition Analysis: 360 calories, 27 g carbs, 6 g protein, 22 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 232 mg sodium, 3 g fiber. Recipe adapted from Cuisinart Elemental 8 Food Processor Recipe Booklet

Fresh Apple Bars

All you need:

•  ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• ¼ cup apple juice concentrate, thawed or water
• 2 medium tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Gala, thinly sliced (peeling is optional)
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (toasting is optional)

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray.
• Step 2 Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, Pumpkin spice in a large bowl. Work in oil and apple juice concentrate (or water) with your fingers until coarse crumbs form.
• Step 3 Firmly press 2 cups of the oat mixture into the prepared pan. Arrange apples over the crust in three rows. Mix walnuts into the remaining oat mixture. Sprinkle the walnut mixture evenly over the apples and pat firmly into an even layer.
• Step 4 Bake until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutrition Analysis: Serving Size: 1 square Per Serving: 160 calories; protein 2g ; carbohydrates 29g ; dietary fiber 1g; sugars 17g; fat 4g 6% ; saturated fatg; cholesterol mg; folate 4.4mcg ; calcium 28.7mg ; iron 0.9mg 5%; magnesium 21.4mg ; potassium 88mg ; sodium 100mg. Adapted from Eating Well.

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