Fall Harvest Pumpkin Roll

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

This recipe comes from a woman I met in Baybrook Texas. I wish I could remember her name because she really deserves the recognition. She is one of those die hard Christmas bakers but her goodies are the ones you look forward to all year. I have tried other versions of the pumpkin roll but Stephen and I agree we like taste and texture of this version best. So, the pumpkin roll has become a regular at our Thanksgiving table.

Many of my friends comment on how intimidated they are of making a rolled cake. It looks pretty daunting but is actually as simple as cutting and frosting a layer cake. I felt the same way before I made my first one. May I side with GI-Joe when I say knowing is half the battle. There is not that much batter, which has made a few people nervous. The cake is supposed to be thin so that it can be rolled up. There are two ways to roll the cake. I was taught to roll the cake with the short side facing me rolling short side toward the other shorts side. Last year I made a different recipe with a friend and she rolled it with the longest side towards her rolling longest side to long side. The only difference I could tell is the way my friend does it produces a much longer roll which means more to go around but they pieces are thinner and smaller. I prefer the denser version of rolling it into a shorter loaf.

Cake:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cups pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Filling:
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray or lightly spritz with water. This is to hold the waxed paper in place. Then line the pan with waxed or parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray.
Combine the sugar, pumpkin and eggs; mix well. Add the soda, salt, flour and cinnamon; mix well.

Spread the batter in pan evenly. Bake 14-18 minutes. (Do Not Over Bake). Cover the pan with a clean dry dish towel then top with a wire cooling rack. Immediately invert pan onto hand/dish towel.

Peel off paper. With the long side in front of you, roll the cake up in the towel. Let cool rolled up.

Combine filling ingredients, mixing well. Unroll the cake, remove the towel, spread filling evenly. Roll cake back up (without the towel), wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Technorati Tags: cream cheese, fall desserts, fun family foods, Pumpkin, pumpkin roll, Thanksgiving dessert recipes

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

I love pumpkin. I always end up with a can of the stuff in my pantry all year long, not that I ever use it. Somehow I can never bring myself to make anything pumpkin related outside of fall. So it is always a treat when the first shrill wind comes announcing fall has arrived. Now that I have found my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie recipe I feel like I can finally move on to other things.

Originally posted in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette; I found the recipe on Sweets By Sarah. I was looking at her Zucchini Chocolate Chip cookie recipe when I noticed a pumpkin version of the whoopie cookie. I have made the chocolate version before but it was a sugary mess. I am not a fan of sickly sweets. The make up this particular recipe is similar to the pumpkin chip cookie recipe; however, surprisingly the taste is light and fluffy with just a subtle hint of pumpkin. A great contrast to the pumpkin chip cookie, muffins or even pumpkin bread. This makes the Whoopie Cookie a fall cookie that can actually be made anytime of the year.

For the cookies:
2 1/4 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
8 T soft butter
1 1/4 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 c sour cream
3/4 c canned pumpkin

The filling:
6 T soft butter
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 t vanilla
2 c powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix until combined. Fold in the sour cream and pumpkin until just combined. Add the flour mixture and blend until incorporated. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons three inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cookies comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing.

To make the filling, combine the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; beat on medium for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined. Decrease the speed to low, add the powdered sugar in 2 additions. Beat until the frosting until smooth, about 1 minute.

Use a thin metal spatula to spread a slightly rounded tablespoon of icing over the flat bottoms of half of the cooled cookies. Press the flat bottoms of the remaining cookies on the cream cheese frosting. Chill until the frosting is firm, about 30 minutes.

Technorati Tags: cookies, fall desserts, fun family food, Pittsburg Post Gazette, Pumpkin, pumpkin chip cookies, whoopie pie

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The Long Sought After Pumpkin Chip Cookie

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

The Pumpkin Chip cookie is by far one of my favorite treats. I first stumbled on it when I was in Utah at a grocery store called Macys. Yes, just like the department store only this place was an actual grocery store. A couple friends of mine were so kind to send me a plate of Macys Pumpkin Chip Cookies after I left. I have tried many recipes through the years with no such luck. They all came out too rich, too gummy, too wet, too cakey, not enough cakeiness. After a while I pretty much gave up. When I saw the picture on Joy the baker I decided to pull out the can of pumpkin that has been patiently sitting in the pantry and try it. All it took was one bite and I was satisfied. I had finally found the recipe.

The recipe calls to drop the dough using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop but that amount produced enormous cookies. Next time I will try my 2 tablespoon scoop. I did not have nutmeg to grate either so I used ground nutmeg instead.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips, or any chip you like such as mini chips, butterscotch or both.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together in a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and light in color. Stir in the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Fold in the dry ingredients until all the flour is incorporated. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have an ice cream scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar (optional). The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Adapted from the Big Fat Cookie cookbook.

Technorati Tags: chocolate chips, fall desserts, fun family food, Pumpkin, pumpkin chip cookie

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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

The oatmeal cookie is one of my favorite fall treats. The spiciness whispers autumn. In this particular version, cinnamon has been replaced with nutmeg for a nice subtle flavor. This recipe comes from the  Baking Illustrated Cookbook.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raisins, optional

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt together in a small bowl.
Either by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time.
Stir dry ingredients into the sugar mixture. Add the oats and raisins.
Roll two tablespoons of dough into a ball and place on prepared baking sheets at least two inches apart.
Bake until the cookie edges turn golden brown, 22-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. Do not over bake. The edges should be brown but the rest of the cookie should be light in color.

Variations:
Substitute 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg for the grated if in a pinch.
A less sweet option: reduce sugar by 1/4 cup.
Date Oatmeal Cookies: Substitute 1 1/2 cups chopped dates for the raisins.
Ginger Oatmeal Cookies: Add 3/4 tsp ground ginger to the flour and omit raisins.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies: Omit the nutmeg. Substitute 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips for the raisins.
Nut Oatmeal Cookies: decrease flour to 1 1/2 cups and add 3/4 cup ground almonds. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts with the oatmeal.
Orange and Almond Oatmeal Cookies: Omit the raisins. Add 2 tbsp minced orange zest and 1 cup toasted chopped almonds (toast nuts in 350-degree oven for 5 minutes) along with oats.

Technorati Tags: baking illustrated, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, cookies, fall desserts, nutmeg, Oatmeal, raisins, RECIPES - Treats, recipes for kids

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Apricot Bars

Filed under: RECIPES - Snacks, RECIPES - Treats

One evening after our youngest baby was born, a friend of mine (Diane Carter) brought us dinner and dessert. My niece was visiting at the time and we both agreed we had to have the recipe.

Apricot Jam
Powdered Sugar
Crust / Topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup butter

Mix flour, sugar, salt, powder, oats and butter until crumbly. Pat 2/3 mixture into 11×7 inch pan. Spread with 1 cup apricot jam. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 325 degrees about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with powder sugar. Cut when cool.

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Pineapple Rings

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

Ellie Krieger is one of my favorite chefs. I love her no-nonsense style to creating healthy meals. You can find more of her recipes on foodnetwork.com or her books “The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life and Small Changes”, “Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life.”

1 (3 to 4 pound) pineapple
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rum
1 pint light vanilla ice cream

Cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, peel and cut it crosswise into 8 rings, about 1/2-inch each. Use a spoon or apple corer to carve out the center core of each ring.
Spray a large grill pan with cooking spray and heat over a medium flame. Grill the pineapple, in 2 or 3 batches, for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until it is nicely brown and grill marks have appeared. (You can also grill this on an outdoor grill sprayed with cooking spray before being heated.)
While the last batch of pineapple cooks, heat the butter, sugar and rum in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Place a pineapple ring on each plate, scoop 1/4 cup of ice cream into the center of the ring, and drizzle about 2 teaspoons of sauce on top.

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Pudding Punch Bowl Cake

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

This is my mom’s famous punch bowl cake. Once I tried making her delectable coconut cake, but it turned out to be a mess, because the layers were slipping off each other. So, into the bowl they went with all the ingredients for mom’s punch bowl cake. Turned out great.

1 angel food cake
1 can crushed pineapple in natural juices
1 large pkg of cook-&-serve vanilla pudding
1 can cherry pie filling
nuts
Cool whip

Cook pudding and cool. Divide cake into three pieces. Break one piece into small pieces in the bottom of large glass bowl.  Spread a layer of 1/3 of the pudding, 1/3 of the pie filling, and 1/3 of the pineapple. Sprinkle nuts. Repeat two more times.  Cover with whipped cream and decorate with cherries, nuts, or whatever. Refrigerate for at least three hours.

Alternatives: try using pound cake or white cake instead of the angel food cake. Sprinkle some coconut flakes between the layers and on top.

I bought this trifle bowl for a friend a could of years ago and I loved it so much I bought one for myself. Considered it an early Christmas Present. The price was great and I love the sides are straight and tall. Makes for a nice presentation.

Technorati Tags: easy desserts, no bake desserts, party food, punch bowl cake, RECIPES, summer desserts

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

If you have never tried rhubarb before, this recipe is the perfect introduction. This recipe is from makeandtakes.com.

Cake:
3 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
2 tbsp butter/margarine, softened
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 t. vanilla

In large bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Cut in margarine, to resemble fine crumbs.
In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients. Spread 1/2 batter in greased 9 x 13″ pan or dish. Add filling then spoon remaining batter in small mounds on top of filling.

For the Filling:
3 cups fresh unsweetened rhubarb, cut into 1/2 pieces or 1 (13 oz) pkg frozen unsweetened rhubarb
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced or 1 (16 oz) frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/3 c cornstarch

In saucepan on low heat, combine the rhubarb and strawberries. Cook fruit covered about 5 minutes Add lemon juice. Add the sugar and cornstarch. Cook and stir 4 – 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool. Spread over the bottom layer of batter.

Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup margarine

Combine sugar and flour; cut in margarine. Sprinkle sugar crumb topping on top of batter in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and devour!

Technorati Tags: cake fillings, crumb topping, desserts, RECIPES, rhubarb, rhubarb cake, strawberries, strawberry cake, summer fruits

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Texas Blue Bell Dump Cake

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

At the time I was living in Texas, Dump Cake and Brisket were the stars of many a backyard barbecue. The cake mix dotted with butter creates a rich crust similar to a Betty or cobbler; but extremely rich. The religious rite required a scoop of vanilla Blue Bell ice cream to top it off.

1 box pudding in the box yellow cake mix
1 can chopped pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling
1-2 sticks of butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350°. In a 13X9 baking pan pour in cherry filling and pineapple. Casually stir around. Pour dry cake mix over fruit, completely covering fruit. Slice butter into thin slices and place over cake mix, slices should touch. Bake for 1 hour until top is browned. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Technorati Tags: barbeque desserts, cake mix, cobblers, dump cake, quick easy cake, summer desserts

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