Thursday, November 5, 2009

My Heart Belongs to Pumpkin (and my tummy does too)

Fall is one of my favorite seasons, if for no other reason than delicious pumpkin recipes. I take every opportunity to indulge in some pumpkin goodness- I'm like a harvest themed "Bubba"- pumpkin soup, pumpkin roll, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin latte, pumpkin cookies......You name it, I love it. So, I thought I would pass a couple of my new favorites on to you. Enjoy!

First up- the most important pumpkin meal of the day: Pancakes!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Whipped Cream
(adapted from here) This one is super easy, and SO yummy....
Prepare pancake mix (any kind) according to directions on the box (for 4 servings)
Then add:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
Cook them like you normally cook pancakes.
That's it!
Warning: Take photos of the cooking phase at your own risk.
This batch may or may not have turned out black on one side....


But this batch was good!

Maple Whipping Cream
I didn't follow through on this portion, but it seems easy enough....
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
ground cinnamon (optional)
In a chilled bowl, beat whipping cream and maple syrup until stiff.
Serve pancakes with a dollop of maple whipping cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.
Voila!
Next time.....
And for dessert:
Cheesecake Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes
(adapted from here) These require a little bit of extra effort, but they're well worth it.
I brought these to work, and received RAVE reviews. Now it's your turn to be the dessert hero!
12 Servings (but you might want to double it...they are that good.)
Ingredients:
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs, plus 1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Store bought frosting (cream cheese flavor)
Directions:
Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°.
Then line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners.
Cream Cheese Mix
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar for 3 minutes.
Beat in 1 egg white and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Pumpkin Mix
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.

Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.

Now, the original recipe includes instructions for Brown Sugar Frosting, but it is a lot of work, and in my opinion, not worth it (mine tasted like straight butter...in a bad way). Instead, I recommend using a store bought frosting- cream cheese flavor would probably be delicious.

If you're feeling fancy: Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag; pipe large rosettes on top of the cupcakes. If not? Just smear it on there...people will eat them too fast to notice anyway.

I didn't take photos of mine- just picture this...but in a foil lined shoebox.
Maybe one of these babies should go on my Christmas list?
Any pumpkin enthusiasts out there? Let me know if you give these a try, or feel free to link to your own confections in the comments!

3 comments :

  1. The Craft Pumpkin is ALL about the gourd! And, I'll dutifully try some of your yummy cuppycakes!!!

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  2. Court! Wow those look really good. I am going to try both- hopefully this week. I am thinking the cup cakes could be a good dessert to have with leftovers the day after Thanksgiving?! And just fyi we do have a cup cake carrier and we probably only use it 3 times a year, but when we do, it is oh so useful!

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  3. Yeah, they totally tasted like straight butter. I was hoping Dustin wouldn't notice when we gave him a blind taste test. Did you end up putting the store bought stuff on them for your small group?

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