Video: Making a Pumpkin Pie with a Fresh Pumpkin

Yay! Another video! I love making videos, and it sucks that I barely ever have time to make them. But here's a good one! As you know, I love pies. Me and pies are pretty much BFFs now. And you may also know that I have an infinity-long list of things I want to bake in my lifetime. One of those things is a pumpkin pie with a fresh pumpkin. I figured it would be a pretty fun video topic since I'd never done it before. We can learn together!

Whew! Well after all that work, was it worth it? Sadly, no. Don't get me wrong. It was extremely delicious. But it's a totally different flavor than what your mind goes to when you think of pumpkin pie. And personally, I prefer the pie made with canned puree. Not only because it's rediculously easier, but because it's what I grew up on and it's what I'm used to. But hey, if you've got plenty of time and you're curious... go ahead and try it. You won't be disappointed! ;) We ate ours with homemade caramel sauce, which I felt was the best part!! If anything, you'll definitely wanna try that!
Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Sauce (from Bubby's Homemade Pies)
Makes 1 9-inch single-crust pie

Par-baked 9-inch crust (or a fully baked 9-inch graham cracker crust)
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or canned, unsweetened pumpkin
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)

To prepare fresh pumpkin, halve the pumpkin lengthwise—stem to bottom—and remove and save the seeds, but leave the pulpy inner lining of brighter flesh they nest in—it's the sweetest part of the pumpkin. Chop the pumpkin in chunks and boil in unsalted water until tender. Drain very well. Remove the skin with a knife, discard the skin, and mash the flesh.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the pumpkin, cream, eggs, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and blend just until combined. Pour the filling into the par-baked pie shell.

Bake the pie on a lipped baking sheet for 50-55 minutes, or until just barely set in the center. Wiggle the pie gently to test its doneness—look for a center that jiggles but doesn't slosh. The retained heat in the custard will continue cooking the middle as the pie cools off. Don't overcook it or the texture won't be as silky. Cracks in the custard are signs of overcooking. A cracked custard is still quite edible, but not optimal.

Cool the pie completely on a cooling rack before cutting, at least a few hours, then refrigerate. Serve it cold with Caramel Sauce. Store the pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy pot over medium heat (check the heat setting or too much water will evaporate before the sugar has had a chance to melt.) Don't stir it. Clip a candy thermometer to the side so that the tip is immersed in the water but not touching the bottom of the pan.

Whisk together the heavy cream and sour cream. Set aside at room temperature.

Cook the syrup until it is a rich caramel color (340 to 380 degrees F on the thermometer) and remove it from the heat. You can choose how dark and intense you want your caramel flavor—the lower temperatures yield a light, sweet caramel, while the higher temperatures create a darker, less sweet caramel. If the syrup gets hotter than 380 degrees F, the caramel will be burnt and bitter, so start over.

Use caution during the next stage: The butter releases a lof ot steam when it hits the caramel, so be careful no to get burned by the steam. With the caramel pot off the heat, add the butter a little at a time, stirring quickly. Add the cream and sour cream and stir well.

Cool and store the caramel sauce in an airtight container. It will keep for 30 days at room temperature or up to 3 months refrigerated. To reheat, warm the sauce over a double boiler, stirring occasionally. (I reheated mine in the microwave, stirring between 15-second intervals.)

Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies

After making the Pumpkin Yeast Bread, I had a bit of pumpkin leftover. Again, trying to stray away from traditional recipes (and also wanting to make a dent in the cream cheese stock pile in our fridge), I decided to go with pumpkin spice cheesecake brownies! I ran the idea by my bestest pal from work, Wendi, and she thought it was a great idea. I browsed the internet until I found the perfect recipe at Cara's Cravings. First, let me say this. I'm fairly confident when it comes to baking most things, but I'll admit I'm a little brownie challenged. I suck at brownies! Every time I've attempted brownies from scratch I've underbaked them, and they came out too fudgy and raw-tasting. Even when I make brownies from a mix it's hard for me to tell when they're done. I usually end up overbaking those because I'm afraid of a goopy chocolate mess. In the case of these pumpkin cheesecake brownies, it's possible that I may have underbaked them. At room temp they were very soft and mushy. That could be because of the cheesecake factor, but that factor also means they had to be refrigerated. They firmed up nicely in the fridge, and boy were they delicious! The tang of the cream cheese compliments the pumpkin nicely. And the subtle spice mixed with the chocolate brownie is perfect! The brownies were pretty rich, so we made about 12 servings out of an 8x8-inch square pan. I'll definitely be making these again soon! :) Thanks, Cara, for a great recipe!Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies
Brownie Batter
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan.

Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. In separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients.

Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving. Keep refrigerated.

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

First, I was on a pie kick... now it's a pumpkin kick. At least I can't say I'm not celebrating my favorite season this year! I love Autumn because of the changing leaves, the cooler air, and the fantastic recipes I get to make with apples and pumpkins! After the Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, I've been really interested in making unusual pumpkin recipes (ie, NOT the traditional pie or pumpkin bread recipes). Most pumpkin bread recipes are quick breads. They're usually pretty spicy and chock full of chocolate chips or some type of nuts. I wanted to go the non-traditional route by making a slightly spicy pumpkin yeast bread. I googled for a recipe (which always makes me feel like I'm cheating on my massive cookbook library), and I settled on a recipe from kingarthurflour.com. The only thing I changed were the spices because I wanted to use my favorite cinnamon and a few other pumpkin pie spices. The end result was a delightfully soft, golden orange bread with a slight whiff of spice. I know you're not supposed to slice warm bread because it damages the interior texture of the bread, and usually I can restrain myself, but this time I COULD NOT RESIST!! The pumpkin flavor was faint, but it was definitely there. The crust was so delicious, and the bread was so soft and moist.


It also makes fantastic toast. I topped mine with spiced pear butter from the Shenandoah Heritage Farmers Market. Mmmm... perfect!
PS: To everyone who was offended by me considering a 1985 recipe to be vintage in my last post, it's vintage to me because it was written before I was born. I classify anything from before 1986 as being vintage, regardless of Webster's definition of the word "vintage." My apologies for making anyone feel old! =/

Pumpkin Yeast Bread (adapted from KingArthurFlour.com)
(I halved this recipe and made 1 9x5-inch loaf)

1/2 cup warm water
2 packages (2 tablespoons) active dry yeast (actually the packages are 2 1/4 teaspoons, so you would only need to measure 1 1/2 tablespoons)
2/3 cup warm milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups puréed pumpkin, either fresh or canned
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 1/2 cups (approximately) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I used 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon each ginger and nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (I omitted this)

In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, oil, 4 cups flour, brown sugar, salt, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into loaves and place in well-greased 10x5-inch pans or, shape half into a loaf, and other half into 12 large dinner rolls. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven. Loaves bake about 30 minutes (my 9x5 loaf was done at 25 minutes), rolls about 20. Check the internal temperature of each with an instant-read thermometer; a reading of 190°F means bread or rolls are done.

Immediately remove bread or rolls from pans and cool on a wire rack to prevent crust from becoming soggy. For a shiny crust, brush tops of bread or rolls lightly with vegetable oil. Makes 2 large loaves, or 1 large loaf and 12 dinner rolls.

Vintage Recipe: Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Good morning, class! Let's begin the day by saying a random fact about yourself. I'll go first. I collect vintage cookbooks. And you know how much I love to start little categories for my blog posts, so here's a new one: Vintage Recipes! The first one comes from The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook from 1985. I can't remember exactly where this book came from, but I know my dad gave it to me a few months ago. It's HUGE! It's full of strange old recipes, and the vintage food photography is so fun! ;D Apparently, gelatin molds and mousses were a huge hit in the 80's. Sadly, I think I'll pass on those recipes, but today's recipe actually does use gelatin... go figure!

Josh and I went to Howl-o-Scream at Busch Gardens on Sunday, and it really got me in the pumpkin mood. On my day off this week, I decided to make a pumpkin pie. I didn't want to make a regular old pumpkin pie, so I browsed my cookbooks. I found this recipe for pumpkin chiffon pie. The original recipe is called Pumpkin-Crunch Chiffon Pie, but it calls for spreading crunchy peanut butter on the pie crust before adding the pumpkin filling. Excuse me while I go vomit. Ok, I'm back. Yeah, so I guess you can tell I wasn't too thrilled with that flavor combo. I ix-nayed the PB idea and just went the chiffon route. The result was heaven in the form of fluffy, pillowy, light orange, spicy pumpkin pie filling! I dunno if I'll ever make a plain pumpkin pie again. This is just too light and soft and delicious and fluffy and creamy and... omg! I died and went to pumpkin heaven!
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie (from The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook; 1985)
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 teaspoon each ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
1 cup chilled heavy cream, stiffly beaten (I used only 3/4 cup of cream and added 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)

Soften gelatin in the cold water and set aside.
Combine pumpkin, sugar, milk, egg yolks, spices, and salt in the top of a double boiler. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Stir in softened gelatin and cook 5 minutes more. Cool.
Beat the egg whites (I added 3 tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites) until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into thoroughly cooled pumpkin filling. Pour mixture into pie shell. Chill until set. Top with whipped cream.

There's Always Time For Pie!

I've been busy... really REALLY busy. Did I mention how busy I've been? Over the span of 3 days last week, I made 4 pies and a birthday cake for our family's annual get-together at my great aunt Christy and uncle Charlie's house. We've accurately dubbed the holiday "Thanksmas." It's between Thanksgiving and Christmas... get it??? It's a holiday we made up in order to see family we don't get to see during the other holidays. I digress. This is about pies. Lately, I've been on a make-my-own-pie-crust kick. It's been fun so far. No major disasters as of yet (One went in the trash, but I'm learning from my mistakes). Anywho, while shopping at Michael's about a month ago, I found the neatest ceramic pie plates. Each plate has a recipe stamped on the inside of it. I thought it would be really nice if I made the pies according to those recipes and gave them the pie plates as a gift! So I did it. And I'm going to post all the photos and recipes in this post. Because last week when I posted all of those cookie recipes separately, I had a lot of unsubscribers saying I update too frequently...... whatever weirdos.

Wednesday evening I cranked out six, count 'em, SIX pie crusts! I was quite proud of myself. One lesson I definitely learned is to make sure the pieces of butter in the pie crust are small! Some of my pieces were as big as [small] marbles. They melted while baking resulting in holes in the crust and a burnt butter smell in the oven. No good at all! Don't stop cutting in the butter until the biggest lumps are the size of peas.

Thursday I got started on the baking. The first pie crust I rolled out was picture perfect. That is, until it went into the oven to be pre-baked. The instructions said just to prick it with a fork, didn't mention a thing about pie weights. The crust shrunk down into the pie pan. I tried to save it as best I could, but it was still kinda ugly. My boyfriend tried to make me feel better by saying it looked more homemade that way. I prefer to say "rustic." The first pie was the pumpkin pie. The recipe made a little too much filling, so I poured the extra into two small ramekins and baked them alongside the pie. Since the pie was going to be given away I couldn't exactly steal a bite, so I used the ramekins as my tasting portions. The filling was definitely delicious. The ginger flavor was my favorite part. (What's with me and ginger this season??) I recently got word from the recipients of this pie that my uncle Lanny ate ALL of it! My aunt Sherry and my cousins, Stephanie and Samantha, didn't even get a taste! I guess I'm flattered... Lol.

The second pie I made was a pecan pie. This was my first time ever making a real pecan pie, so I was nervous. I baked it exactly according to the directions. I took it out when the edges were set and the center was still jiggly. It smelled SO good while it was cooling! I gave this pie to my Aunt Michelle. She loves pecan pies, so I hoped I did it right for her. She said it was baked exactly how she likes it. Still gooey in the middle, not chewey and overbaked. She was nice enough to offer her pie up to everyone at Christy's for dessert Saturday night (alongside the Boston Cream birthday cake I made for Tammy's birthday that got devoured within the hour!).





The next pie on my to-do list was the cherry lattice pie. It was my first time attemping a lattice top pie, and I was especially nervous using homemade pie crust because it's very delicate. A few of the strips broke while I was putting them on the pie. Then the warm cherry filling started to soften the strips while I was folding them into the lattice pattern. It was extremely nerve racking, but I was able to mend all the broken strips. I ended up with a very rustic looking pie. The filling was so good. I snuck a little taste while I was making it. Homemade cherry filling is the BEST! I didn't get a picture of the inside of the pie because my aunt Tammy was not in the mood to share. But that's okay, because she texted me the next day and said it was really delicious!

The fourth and final pie was the one I was most excited to make. The apple cranberry pie was a sinch to put together. The smell of fresh apples and cinnamon is one of my favorite scents in the whole wide world. It comes second in my list of favorite smells only to vanilla cake batter. Now that stuff is pure heaven. But more about the pie. You may be thinking, "Wow, that top crust looks so flaky and perfect." Well remember that pie crust I told you that took a trip to the garbage can? Yeah... It was the top crust on this pie. The one you see in the photo is a Pillsbury refrigerated roll-out crust. I'm not afraid to admit defeat. One of my pie crusts was just too crumbly to roll, so I took a little help from the Dough Boy! But the little apple cut-outs came from my own crust, so props to me for something! Another mishap reared it's head when my great aunt Christy sliced into this pie. The filling never thickened up. It was very soupy. I dunno what went wrong. I've made apple pies before, and this has never happened. Any advice? Could it have been the recipe? Nevertheless (bringing back some old school vocab!), I stole a tiny bite of the slice of pie we took home to my dad. It was really good. The cranberries added a beautiful flavor throughout the pie. And the apples were cooked perfectly. I like when they still have a little bit of texture. The only suggestion my dad gave was that if I was making that pie for him, he'd want a little less cranberry and a little more apple. Other than that, it got great reviews!

Here are all of the recipes with my suggestions in orange italics (as always!):

• Pumpkin Pie
  1 single-crust pastry
  2 eggs
  1 can (16 oz.) solid pack pumpkin (I used a 15 oz. can)
  ¾ cup granulated sugar
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  ½ teaspoon salt
  ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  1 can (10 oz.) evaporated milk (Do they come in 10 oz. cans? I used two 5 oz. cans)
  
  Preheat oven to 425 F. Roll out pastry into round; press onto bottom and up sides of pie pan; trim edges and prick bottom with a fork (I suggest using pie weights). Bake 7-8 minutes (or until lightly golden).
  In large bowl, beat eggs; stir in pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices, and evaporated milk; pour into pie shell. Place pie on jelly roll pan; bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Continue baking 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean (I baked mine just until the outside was set and the center was slightly jiggly, about 45 minutes). Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate.
  
  
• Pecan Pie
  1 single-crust pastry
  1 cup light or dark corn syrup (I used King Syrup)
  3 eggs, lightly beaten
  ½ cup granulated sugar
  4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted (I used salted butter)
  1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  2 cups pecan halves or pieces
  
  Preheat oven to 425 F. Roll out pastry into circle; press onto bottom and up sides of pie pan; set aside.
  In large bowl, whisk together corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla; mix well. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes or until edges are set and center is still slightly liquid (I had to bake mine for about 25 minutes). Remove from oven; cool completely.
  
  
• Cherry Lattice Pie
  1 double-crust pastry
  1 can (20 oz.) pitted tart cherries (I couldn't find a 20 oz. can; I measured 20 oz. from two 14 oz. cans)
  1 cup granulated sugar
  2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  1/3 cup cornstarch
  1/8 teaspoon salt
  ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  Zest of 1 lemon & 1 orange (I used 1 lemon and only half an orange)
  
  Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out pastry disk into an 11” circle. Place in pie pan (Don‘t forget the pie weights). Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
  Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup liquid. In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt; stir in cherry liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add butter, citrus zest, and almond extract. (The recipe forgot to say this, but add the cherries now, as well.) Pour into pre-baked pie shell. Roll out second pastry disk into an 11” circle. With a knife or pastry wheel cut eight ½” strips. Place pastry strips horizontally, then vertically, across the top of the pie (CLICK HERE FOR ILLUSTRATED HELP) . Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool before serving.
  
  
• Apple Cranberry Pie
  6 cups sliced, peeled, and cored baking apples (about 6 large apples) (I used 3 Granny Smith apples and 2 Gala apples sliced ½” thick)
  ¾ cup dried cranberries
  1 tablespoon lemon juice
  ¾ cup granulated sugar
  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1 double-crust pastry
  1 egg white, lightly beaten
  2 tablespoons coarse sugar (optional)
  
  Preheat oven to 400 F. In large bowl, combine apple slices, cranberries, and lemon juice. In small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples; mix well to coat.
  Line deep dish pie plate with pie crust; fill with apple mixture. Using mini cutter, cut out vents in top pie crust. Place crust over filling; crimp and flute edges. Brush pie crust with egg white (and sprinkle with optional sugar).
  Bake 45-50 minutes or until apples are bubbly and crust is deep golden brown. Remove pie from oven. Cool pie in pan on cooling rack at least 1 hour before serving.

IronCupcake_005: Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes... 2 Ways!

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Chocolate with a Twist
My 2nd entry: Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Glaze
Voting begins: Monday, December 29 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com and will be open through Friday, January 2 at 12 noon Central.

We had a VERY close call in the poll this week! Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes pulled ahead of German Chocolate Cupcakes at the last minute with 2 more votes. YYAAYY!! I knew I could integrate chocolate into this somehow and use it as another Iron Cupcake entry. After those pumpkin-swirl brownies, I'm a tried and true pumpkin+chocolate fan. I made 6 of the cupcakes just the way they are in the book. Then to the rest of the batter I added some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I topped the regular ones with cinnamon cream cheese. On top of the chocolate chip cupcakes I used the same chocolate glaze from my first ICE_005 entry, chocolate mayonnaise cupcakes, but I added a pinch of cinnamon to it this time! To make them extra fancy I dipped some pecans in melted sugar. Then I dipped some of those in semi-sweet chocolate. These cupcakes are so so so good! The cinnamon in the chocolate glaze is such a tasty addition! And the crunchy pecans in the cupcake are a very nice texture compliment. I can't believe how easy this months IC challenge has been so far. Expect a few more entries out of me! :P

Measuring the dry ingredients Dry ingredients... meet wet ingredients!
Ready for the oven
Candied pecans... Mmmm!
Cupcakes cooling in the kitchen
On the left: Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese

On the right: Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Glaze

Cupcake recipe adapted from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski
Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Maple Glaze (This was nasty and I threw it away! I won't even include the recipe.)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and eggs. Add the flour mixture and whisk to combine completely. Stir in the chopped pecans. (I added 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to half of the batter).

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22-24 minutes (Mine were done at 19 minutes). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Spoon the glaze over the cupcakes and serve. {The glazed cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.}

Chocolate Cinnamon Glaze
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon

In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla and cinnamon. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Spread glaze over top of cupcakes.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
BETTY TURBO
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, IronCupcake:Earth is excited to welcome back CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
As an added bonus for December we have adorable cupcake pincushions compliments of SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

I was in the mood to make pie crust on Sunday, so my next task was figuring out what should go IN the pie crust! I browsed my collection of cookbooks and found one that I've probably only opened once since I got it (not because I don't like it, I simply forgot I had it!). I found a recipe that is perfect for Thanksgiving AND it combines two of my favorite things: pumpkin pie and cheesecake. How could this not be incredible?!? Have a look for yourself...

I started with the pie crust I'm in love with making now. I gather my mise en place (because I'm "particular" like that).
First, a layer of cheesecake batter...

Then a layer of yummy pumpkin pie batter!

Protect the crust from over-browning by covering it with foil.

Finished off with pecan streusel, FANTASTIC!

The cheesecake layer looks a bit thin, but you can definitely taste the cream cheese flavor!

Mmmm, so yummy! Here's the recipe just in time for Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie from Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book
Prep: 20 minutes - Bake: 1 hour
Makes: 8 servings – Oven 350F

1 recipe pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie (recipe here)
----------------------------------
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 slightly beaten egg
----------------------------------
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
----------------------------------
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened

1. Prepare and roll out pastry. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim and crimp edge as desired; set aside.
2. In small mixing bowl beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the vanilla, and the 1 slightly beaten egg with electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate.
3. In a medium mixing bowl combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, the 2 eggs, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Carefully pour over cream-cheese mixture.
4. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of the pie with foil. Bake in a 350F oven for 25 minutes.
Remove foil. Bake for 25 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, combine the pecans, flour, the 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and butter. Sprinkle
over the pie. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 to 2 hours on a wire rack. Refrigerate within 2 hours; cover for longer storage.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 477 cal., 29 g total fat (11g sat. fat), 122 mg chol., 295 mg sodium, 46 g carbo., 2 g fiber, 10 g pro. Daily Values: 103% vit. A, 4% vit. C, 12% calcium, 17% iron

Autumn Baking: Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies

After making the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies earlier this week, I had about a cup of pumpkin puree sitting in the fridge waiting to find out it's destiny! I wanted to make something other than the pumpkin pancakes I usually make with leftover pumpkin. I was craving chocolate, and there's nothing better to quell a chocolate craving than a warm gooey brownie. I googled for a recipe for pumpkin brownies and found this one on Marthastewart.com. These brownies are SO good, I had one for breakfast yesterday morning and TWO for dinner last night! :D They are really gooey and delicious. It's like a wonderful cross between a fudgy brownie and yummy pumpkin pie. Soooooo terrific!! I made mine in an 8x8 pan so they'd be thick and tall. Of course they took a little longer to bake, and I still took them out before they were done because I like my brownies REALLY gooey (i.e., I'd pretty much eat them raw)! Here's a photo, followed by the fabulous recipe. Enjoy!


Recipe from Marthastewart.com

MY NOTES: If you make these in an 8x8, you should bake them for about 1 hour.

Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
Makes 16

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omitted this because I didn't have any, but I'd love to know how they taste with it!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts (I used pecans)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.
With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Autumn Baking: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

October is finally here!! It's my favorite time of the year for baking. Everything tastes so warm and cozy. I'm asking for you guys to send your favorite Autumn/Fall recipes to me at howtoeatacupcake@yahoo.com (an e-mail is preferable, but a comment is fine!). This recipe was sent to me by Debbie Vassil. It comes from Bon Appetit's October 2005 issue. I had never made whoopie pies before, but I had read a lot about them in Flickr discussions. I love love LOVE pumpkin, so I definitely couldn't resist this recipe. I rolled some in toasted chopped pecans and some in mini chocolate chips. They'd also be super good topped with dried cranberries like those raisin creme pies you can get at the grocery store. Thanks Debbie, these were SO great! There were no leftovers! ;)

OH YEAH!! And I totally forgot October 1st is National Cookie Day. These are kinda like cookies... right?

Ingredients

After letting the electric mixer do most of the work, I like to finish the batter by hand.
I used a medium (#30) cookie scoop to make sure they were all the same size.
While they were cooling, the house smelled SO nice!
Tada! Autumn deliciousness!

MY NOTES: This is my adaptation of the recipe sent to me by Debbie Vassil from Bon Appetit's October 2005 issue. I halved the recipe, and changed it slightly. I'll put the original quantities in bold parentheses. The original recipe probably makes about 23-24 pies. You'll need to double the filling if you make the whole recipe. Also, I made my own buttermilk by adding 1/4 tsp white vinegar to 1/4 cup whole milk. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes. I used my own recipe for the spiced cream cheese filling.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Makes 23 cookies (11 pies + 1 leftover cookie to eat!)

1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (2 3/4 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder (2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1 tsp)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (4 1/2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp (2 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup sugar (1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon molasses (3 Tbsp)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (2 tsp)
2 large eggs (4)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) (1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup buttermilk (1/2 cup)

Spiced Cream Cheese Filling (my own recipe)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk dry ingredients (except sugar) together in a medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, molasses and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin puree.
Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions, beating until just combined.
Line large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart, leaving enough room for dough to spread.
Bake for 13 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Cool completely on wire racks before filling.
To make the filling, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until blended. Add sugar and spices. Beat just until thickened and well blended.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies w/ Craisins and Walnuts

After making the pumpkin roll, I had about 1 cup of pumpkin left. My original plan was to use it in vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls. However, when I went searching for the dry yeast it was no where to be found. Soooo, these cookies were plan B. And what a great plan B! They're so delicious. They're soft cake-like cookies that remind me of eating a muffin. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

The craisins and walnuts are coated in flour (a tip from Ina Garten). The dough was delicious! Heaping tablespoons of dough ready for the oven. Yummy cookies cooling and smelling great! Tada! The best pumpkin cookies I've ever tasted!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Cookies w/ Craisins and Walnuts
Makes about 40

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg and pumpkin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into mixture until well blended. Fold cranberries and walnuts into mixture until incorporated. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.