pumpkin

Pumpkin Pie Fudge Brownie Bars.

November 21, 2011 · 153 comments

Last week I met a brownie.

And not the 7-year old, patched up vest-wearing kind.

This kind. The kind with PIE baked on top. And baked in a pan.

After that pumpkin binge last month, I practically swore off the stuff for good.

But I’m a weird creature of holiday habit… celebrating each holiday just up until that holiday – no more – then excitedly moving on to the next, and I love relishing in Thanksgiving because while all holidays are pretty much about food… this holiday is seriously serious about food. Comfort food.

Just my thang!

So I had to throw one more pumpkin recipe in your face before I start baking copious amounts of cookies and eating enough to make the treadmill cry. Well… that’s sort of a lie, because I have one more (that’s it, I swear. stop giving me the stink eye!) pumpkin recipe on tap that I made weeks ago but didn’t deem photo-worthy enough to share. We’re going to make that a Facebook exclusive recipe later this week! Ooooh the excitement.

On the outside, I’m totally holding it together for Thanksgiving and focusing on celebrating the feast full force with boatloads of pie, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie.

Which is weird, because I could really care less about pie. Except on Thanksgiving… color me crazy.

But inside, I’m getting in the Christmas spirit like no other, playing the Barry Manilow holiday album on repeat more times than Brenda played Losing My Religion after Dylan dumped her.

Shhh. Don’t tell.

Nearly 365 days ago, I made some bourbon pecan pie brownies. Oh my… they were GOOD. That doesn’t even explain their deliciousness but I’ll spare you the typical dramatizations since it’s Monday.

Wait. Except for one: this chocolate layer is the fudgiest, richest little pillow of cocoa you will ever sink your teeth into.

K done. I can’t help myself.

See… I like pumpkin… but it is hard for me to classify something as dessert without some sort of hot chocolate mess going on. I’ll have a bite of pumpkin pie come Thanksgiving (you know… like, uh the final bite of food that makes it necessary to unbutton the top of your jeans?) but I really just want chocolate. And I really just like my whipped cream with a little bit of pumpkin pie. I mean, really… I JUST WANT CHOCOLATE.

I’m a supercalifragilistic chocoholic of the worst kind. And if it means anything, I think I’m making peanut butter pie on Thursday because it’s all I can think about, and once I get something in my head, I become the most annoying person ever.

Shocking, I know.

But I had to tell you, because I love you. Now if you know what’s good for you, you’ll make these brownies.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge Brownie Bars

(brownies adapted from bourbon pecan brownies, pumpkin adapted from simply recipes)

makes one 9×13 pan

brownie layer

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups sugar

10 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In a small bowl, beat eggs and vanilla and set aside. In a double boiler, add butter, cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix until the mixture becomes a batter – this will take approximately 10 minutes and at first will just look like clumps of cocoa power. Be patient! Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the egg mixture (very slowly while whisking, so you don’t have scrambled eggs!) until combined. Stir in flour until batter is smooth, then pour in baking dish. Use a 9×13 dish for thin bars, and an 8×8 for thicker bars. For 9×13 dish, bake for 12-13 minutes. For an 8×8 dish, bake for about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely! Then make pumpkin layer.

pumpkin layer

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 large egg

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk together sugars and egg until smooth. Add in pumpkin and spice, again mixing until combine. Finish by adding in heavy cream, stirring until everything is mixed, then pour on top of the cooled brownie layer and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 10 minutes (9×13 dish) or 15 minutes (8×8 dish), then reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake for 18-20 minutes (9×13 dish)/22-25 minutes (8x8dish) or until pumpkin layer is set. Let cool completely (ideally overnight, or about 3-4 hours) then slice and serve.

Because these are good for you. I swear.

{ 153 comments }

Chewier! Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. [2 Ways]

October 13, 2011 · 236 comments

I’m totally cool with never eating another pumpkin cookie in my life… ever.

This is like one sixteenth of the mess I’ve had multiple days in the last two weeks.

And you all know how much I love to clean…

Ugh. The bad news is that my total count of pumpkin cookie batches totaled 14, and I am so disgustingly pumpkin-ed out that I could cry.

The good news is that I got a pretty good recipe and an even better GREAT recipe. I’m giving you both because not everyone has access to pumpkin butter… though friends? You should. You really, really should. It’s like eating everything loveable off of a spoon… like puppies and babies and cuddly blankets. Except you don’t eat that stuff because then you would be a freak.

Good thing I like freaks!

When I mentioned I was working on these chewy cookies, some of you suggested cooking down the pumpkin puree. So I did that for about an hour, stirring until my wrist fell off. Three times. And then I got these. Every single time.

#fail

Cakiest (?) cookies ever. I have a feeling that cooking the pumpkin down may work in some instances, but I don’t find it to be a guarantee. I need a guarantee. Every time. I’m impatient, immature and whiny.

Run away. Save yourselves!

This pumpkin batter is super delicious, though the thought of it right now makes me want to hurl. It was like quick sand… I nearly sank down in there and drowned.

But!

Eventually I came out with a cookie like this.

Thank you baby Jesus.

The next three pictures are three different batches of the same recipe. This cookie is made with just a bit of pumpkin puree, lots of pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and a bit of cornstarch. Judging from the first two pictures you can see I was a little underzealous with my baking time and left these soft and gooey. If you are ill or with child or just wiser than me in general (which would probably include, uh… all of you), bake them a little longer.

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Pumpkin Puree

[adapted from the giant rainbow cookies]

makes about 24 cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, melted and cooled

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup chocolate chunks + 3/4 cup chocolate chips + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the flour, salt, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Stir in pumpkin puree until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold chocolate chips and chunks.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, then roll into golfball-sized balls. Bake for 8-11 minutes, then let cool completely. If you keep these in the fridge for even longer, you may get a more cakier cookie.

You’re still going to get a teeeeeny tiny bit of cakiness, but it is barely detectable. Is that even a word? Is it now.

I also used three different kinds of chocolate (chips, chunks and mini chips) here which basically made my life.

Now these… these cookies below are the ones I want to sleep with at night.

They are thin, crisp, chewy and even a little crunchy on the ends. They are a result of using pumpkin butter (I love both Trader Joe’s and American Spoon) and for those of you who suggested trying pumpkin butter? Marry me. Now.

I know many of you may not find the pumpkin butter cookie to be ideal for the simple fact that not only can it be difficult to find, but it can also be fairly expensive. However… totally worth it! You could also make your own pumpkin butter but really!? I wasn’t even going to attempt that. I’d rather make six consecutive dishes full of broccoli than make one more thing containing pumpkin.

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Pumpkin Butter

[adapted from the giant rainbow cookies]

makes about 24-30 cookies

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup pumpkin butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the flour, salt, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Stir in pumpkin butter until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold chocolate chips and chunks.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, then roll into golfball-sized balls. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are crisp and slightly golden on the edges, then let cool completely.

But now that I’m staring at this picture… I sort of want to eat that cookie up there. Crud.

{ 236 comments }

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie.

October 4, 2011 · 284 comments

I made you a pie.

Well, okay… I made you the filling of a pie.

I bought the crust.

I don’t do crusts. Remember when I tried? Yeah… not happening.

But I made croissants so that makes up for it. Hmmpf!

Way back when I shared a chocolate chip cookie pie that I found on a yellowed scrap of newspaper in my mom’s recipe box… and it literally tasted like a giant chocolate chip cookie. It was oooey and gooey and even… chewy. Yes.

I’ve only made it once since then because if it’s made, it’s eaten.

By me.

All of it.

Just try it. Double dare.

So… I made the pie with pumpkin. Know why? Because I dreamt it. Yep. I’m totally serious.

I woke up on Sunday morning with one thought in my mind: pumpkin chocolate chip cookie pie. It was blaring in my head like a siren. I have no idea why.

Alright, I sorta do.

See, for the last four weeks I’ve been trying to perfect a seriously CHEWY pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Yes, I’ve had the normal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They were one of the first recipes I ever posted here, complete with pictures to make your skin crawl. Buuuut… I’m done with them. I don’t even want to see another one. I want chew, not cake. CHEW. If I want a cakey cookie, I’ll make a darn cake. I want a cookie that chews and spits out melty chocolate chips.

I’m probably the reason for the pumpkin shortage because, um… I think I’ve gone through at least 10 cans trying to perfect these stupid chewy cookies. It’s driving me insaaaaaaaane! Good news is I’ve nailed it and will share it soon enough. Better news is that this pie was worth sharing over those cookies.

I’m convinced waking up with pumpkin cookie pie on the brain was the universe’s way of telling me to lay off the cookies.

Oh, except for one thing. The pumpkin… it kind of took away the chew of the pie. *hangs head*

Not all of it. It’s still cookie-like, it just definitely adds a bit of cakey-ness. But I’m not one to complain. (<– really? since I’ve now complained this entire post.) I’m so annoyed with pumpkin right now. Why can’t it have chew-inducing molecules, or whatever the heck it has to have to stop being so cakey?

Anyway, I wanted to pie myself in the face with this. If that tells you anything.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

[from chocolate chip cookie pie]

makes one 9-inch pie

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1/3 cup pureed pumpkin

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup chocolate chips

1 unbaked pie shell

whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Add in vanilla extract, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and mix until combined.. Blend in melted butter with mixer on low speed, then gradually increase to high and beat until mixture is combined and you have a batter. Toss chocolate chips with a sprinkling of flour and fold into batter. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 55 minutes, or until center is no longer jiggly.

Serve warm with ice cream of whipped cream.

Edited to add: I have tested this recipe four times and the measurements are correct. You MUST cool your butter completely. You also MUST use an electric mixer. And third, you MUST mix the butter in thoroughly with your electric mixer until a batter is formed like the first picture above. Feel free to add more pumpkin, but if you do that you will essentially have a pumpkin cake inside a pie crust. Other than that, the measurements are spot on. The key is you must, must, must let that butter cool.

P.S. Sorry about the store bought crust. But not really.

{ 284 comments }

How To Make Croissants. [and lose your mind while doing it]

Croissants [dough from epicurious, method from cooks.com] makes about 20-24 croissants, depending on triangle size 1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (about 105 degrees F) 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast 3 3/4 – 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold, unsalted butter 1 egg + 1 teaspoon whole milk, beaten for brushing 1. To make dough, combined milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer attached with a dough hook, and let sit until foamy – about 5-10 minutes. If it doesn’t foam, start over. Once foamy, add 3 3/4 cups flour and the salt, and mix on low speed until dough comes together and is soft, about 7 minutes. Transfer dough to your workspace and knead by hand for a minute or 2, using more flour to make it silky and not sticky. Form dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour. 2. Once dough has chilled, set butter sticks next to each other with their sides touching. Pound it down with a rolling pin to soften it a bit, then set [...]

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Grown Up Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes.

Bourbon Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes makes 2 shakes 2 cups vanilla ice cream 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup cream or half and half 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2/3 cup pureed pumpkin 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs 2-3 ounces of bourbon frosting + sprinkles (or cinnamon sugar) for glasses Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until combined. Rim glasses with a light coating of frosting then dip in sprinkles. Pour in shake and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Top with whipped cream if desired. Serve!

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Pumpkin Spice is Twice as Nice.

Good morning, friends. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful birthday wishes yesterday! This post is my creation for the November culinary events at Kitchen Play. Kitchen Play is devoted to connecting food bloggers and PR professionals through sponsored events such as the Progressive Party, the SideCar Series, the Pampered Pantry and more. This month is sponsored by Nestlé Kitchens, so you can imagine my excitement when I found out that my top secret product was… Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin! Be still my heart. Does it get any better than this? My assignment was to create a deconstructed pumpkin pie. In other words, turn pumpkin pie on its head! When I was brainstorming ideas for my deconstructed pumpkin pie, only one thing came to mind: cake. I thought to myself, cake? I enjoy cake, but it is rarely my go-to dessert. I usually choose something much more rich and decadent. Not to mention that I cannot decorate a cake to save my life. I can barely master a crumb coat, let alone a beautiful blanket of fluffy, whipped frosting. But I couldn’t get cake out of my head, so I decided to roll with the punches. And the wheels [...]

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The Great Pumpkin Round Up.

I am not even close to being done with pumpkin this year, but wanted to put this year’s favorites in one place. Enjoy the pumpkin overload. Pumpkin Apple Muffins Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cakes Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice A Healthier Pumpkin Cupcake Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Parfaits Harvest Apple Soup And a few other bites of pumpkin deliciousness that I have bookmarked: Pumpkin Nutella Bread Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream To Die For Pumpkin Smoothie Double Pumpkin Kissed Chocolate Chip Cookies Pumpkin Bagels What is one of your favorite pumpkin recipes of the season?

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Harvest Apple Soup.

This is the first year that I’ve bought these adorable little pie pumpkins. I think they are so much cuter than those other small decorative pumpkins. I didn’t want to butcher them, but I sacrificed two for this soup. I realize that there is a whole slew of you out there that is sick of seeing pumpkin. I won’t lie. I’m a little sick of it too. But this soup doesn’t need pumpkin. I simply used the pumpkin shells as a vehicle for the soup. And I didn’t want to waste some of the pumpkin that I scooped out, so it got pureed in the soup. But the best part of the soup is the apple and the squash. I suspect that some sweet potatoes would be a delicious addition as well. I baked the pumpkin for a few minutes to soften up what was left inside, but not too long so it would still be firm enough to hold the soup. I wasn’t sure if I would love this dish, but it was fabulous. The apple adds a bit of sweetness and I loved the addition of the sage. Sometimes I am scared of fresh herbs, like sage, because [...]

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Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Parfaits.

Ever since I had my first quinoa parfait on Labor Day, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. The texture, the taste… it was perfect. Plus, I really love yogurt but I don’t love it plain. I am always looking for new things to add in. Naturally, I was adamant that my next parfait was going to contain pumpkin. This time I also included graham cracker crumbs. They are so underrated. I love them so much that sometimes I consider simply eating a bowl containing a smidge of melted butter + graham cracker crumbs. Like a pie crust but without the filling. Bonus points if you make your own grahams. I didn’t have time for such shenanigans. But I’m hoping to make them soon. As long as I don’t gobble them up straight from the oven, I will share the details. One of the reasons I adore this parfait is that I love making healthy snacks that are fun and pretty. It is also stacked with protein-packed yogurt and quinoa, and fiber-rich pumpkin. Topped off with a sprinkle of pecans – you get a delicious balanced treat. Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Parfaits serves 2 2 cups greek yogurt 2/3 cups pumpkin [...]

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A Healthier Pumpkin Cupcake.

Last fall, I made some delicious pumpkin cupcakes. I made them over and over and over again. And then I ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My goal yesterday was to try another pumpkin cupcake, but this time make it a bit on the healthier side. That way I could really eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One thing I am not good at: staying out of cake and cookie batter. Major fail. Chew gum. It helps. Loved the way these turned out. All whole wheat flour, much less sugar, and no oil. Of course, there is still butter. I mean, who do you think I am? The cupcakes were still fluffy and moist. I put them in the fridge and snuck eighteen a few bites. They got just a tiny bit dry in the fridge, but as soon as I left them out at room temperature again, they were as fluffy as clouds. They tasted so incredible, I could barely tell they were a healthier version. Of course I couldn’t leave it at that. Me let things be? Never. I whipped up some pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting to pile on top. It made the cupcakes much [...]

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