Amazing Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

A new pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe that I tried back in the fall.  Again from melskitchencafe.com.

Amazing Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) brown sugar
• 1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (9 ounces) pumpkin puree (see note above)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour (see note above)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla, pumpkin, and water, and mix until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. The dough will be very soft. Use a spoon or cookie scoop (I use my #40 cookie scoop) to drop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set but the middles are still a little bit soft. When the cookies come out of the oven, lightly tap or drop the cookie sheet on the counter (this helps the thinner/chewy factor of the cookies but you won't get fired if you don't do it). If the cookies were taken out while still soft in the center, they'll flatten more as they cool. Let them cool 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. These cookies taste great the day of, even better the next day, and they freeze great!

Whole Spelt Pumpkin Muffins

Tuesdays are muffin/sweet bread days on the breakfast menu.  And I look forward to it every week... I certainly love baked goods.  But lately I've been trying some new recipes to find healthier options for these breakfasts.  I've had my eye on this recipe for a while but didn't have any spelt.  (Didn't even know what it was!)  I finally picked up a can at Alpine Food Storage a month or two ago and made these babies.  In fact, we had them on three different occasions within a couple of weeks.  My kids gobbled them up, but really they love muffins in any way, shape or form.  I was surprised at how cake-like spelt flour is.  I have to say I prefer my denser pumpkin muffin recipe but these are a healthier alternative and still very good.  I will definitely continue to make them.  This recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food.  Oh, and I added chocolate chips to mine. :)

Whole Spelt Pumpkin Muffins

• 1½ cups whole spelt flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup honey
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside.
2. Using a whisk or fork mix together the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and drop in the eggs, honey, and melted butter. Mix together until well combined. Fold in the pumpkin puree. Do not over-mix.
4. Pour the batter into the muffin pan so it’s evenly distributed. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes clean, about 18 – 20 minutes. Store at room temperature or freeze for a rainy day.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

My friend Marianne made these for a church function we had a few years ago and they were delicious!  I had to bring a dessert to another church function tonight and immediately thought of these.  I'm so glad I have this recipe now - thanks Marianne!  I doubled this recipe and it filled 30 baking cups, each 3/4 full.  Also, the original recipe didn't call for whipped topping but it makes all the difference.  Marianne adds a little cinnamon to hers and it's the perfect touch.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

12 gingersnap cookies (just store-bought ones, the crunchier the better so they don't get soggy)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I almost always use Neufchatel - less fat)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place 12 muffin cup liners in a muffin tin. Place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each liner. Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until well blended. Add the eggs and beat well. Divide batter equally among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and chill before serving.  Top with a dollop of whipped topping.

Whipped Topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar to taste (about 1/3 cup)
sprinkling of cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp.)

With an electric hand mixer, beat the whipping cream on high speed.  Once it has started to stiffen, add in powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Continue to beat until correct consistency.


 

Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

I've mentioned before that I love baking with pumpkin at this time of year.  I have a good pumpkin waffle recipe but lately we are more into pancakes than waffles...maybe it's because my waffle iron isn't the greatest, but anyhow, I wanted a good pumpkin pancake recipe and this one is it!  The batter comes out pretty thick making for thick pancakes, which I love, but if your preference is thin pancakes, I would add more buttermilk.  I've posted one recipe for Apple Cider Syrup but I think this one is my new favorite.  It goes GREAT with these pancakes.

Sometimes technology is so frustrating!  I don't know what's going on with Blogger tonight but I cannot get the recipe to post the way it should so the spacing is all over the place.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups flour (Can substitute 1/2 - 1 cup wheat flour for the equivalent amount of white flour)

3 Tb brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground all spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup buttermilk (I do an overflowing 1/2 cup)

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

2 Tb canola oil

2 Tb vinegar

In one bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vinegar. Combine dry ingredients separately and them stir into pumpkin mixture just until combined. Heat your pan or griddle (lightly butter or oil if it is not seasoned), using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with apple cider syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup

3/4 Cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 TBs cornstarch

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup butter

Mix sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg well. Add apple cider and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, use within a week or two.

Spice Pumpkin Cake

I love this time of year when pumpkin recipes start popping up all over! - Love baking with pumpkin!  I wanted to make a cake for Tyler's birthday on Sunday but we had had the more traditional birthday cake the day before so I wanted to make something a little different.  I had a spice cake mix (don't remember what I ever bought that for) and so I thought I'd google recipes using the cake mix.  I went to Duncan Hines' website and came across this super easy and delicious cake which called for pumpkin - yeah!  I iced it with cream cheese frosting, which really makes anything taste good.

Spice Pumpkin Cake

• 1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Spice Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I omitted.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. Combine cake mix, eggs, water and pumpkin in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in nuts. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.

 At this point I frosted mine with cream cheese frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 stick of butter, softened
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 bar (or 4 oz.) cream cheese

**You can also make this cake look like a pumpkin by coloring most of the frosting orange and reserving a small amount to be colored green.  Frost the whole cake with the orange frosting and then add an upside down cake cone to the top center of the cake and paint the cake cone with the green frosting.  For a cute picture see the Duncan Hines website.

Pumpkin Waffles

If you're wondering why the syrup doesn't cover the entire waffle, it's because Tyler didn't want syrup on his section. He wanted ketchup. :) These waffles are seriously good! This is the time of year when I always seem to have pumpkin leftover in my fridge so I'm always looking for ways to use it. I love just about anything pumpkin. I got this recipe from my friend Sheia and my friend Melanie has a recipe for apple cider syrup that goes great with these too.

Pumpkin Waffles

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2/3 cup canned pumpkin

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter and pumpkin. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined. Coat waffles iron with non-stick spray and cook.

Apple Cider Syrup

Mix in sauce pan

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add

• 1 cup apple cider or apple juice
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 2 TBS butter

Cook all ingredients except butter over medium heat. Heat until thick and bubbly. Cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter.
Makes 1 1/3 cups syrup.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was going to use this recipe to make bread but decided against it so I could freeze half of these. I love this time of year because I get to pull out all the pumpkin recipes. I love almost anything with pumpkin in it!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

3 1/3 cups flour

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin

4 eggs

2/3 cup water

1 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together eggs, oil, water, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix the dry with the wet. When mixed, fold in 2 cups chocolate chips. Spoon into greased muffin cups. Bake at 400 for 16 - 20 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

Pumpkin Cake

I got this recipe from a recipe exchange we did in our BYU ward shortly after Ben and I were married. I made this cake a couple of times back in the fall and am just getting around to posting the recipe. The frosting is what makes this so good! **I just made this again the other day and I baked it in a large cookie sheet. It turned out great because the cake wasn't so thick. So that's another way you can do it. I baked it for about 25-27 minutes.

Pumpkin Cake

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 small can pumpkin

Add first 3 ingredients, then fold in flour and stir thoroughly. Add last 4 ingredients and stir well. Pour mixture into greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Icing:

3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick margarine (I use butter.)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 bar (or 4 oz.) cream cheese

Mix all ingredients but add powdered sugar last. Spread icing on cake after it has cooled.

**(Update 10/10) I have started making this in a large cookie sheet (the big silver ones they sell at Costco) and I like it better....more like bars than cake. I've also started using only 1/2-3/4 of a cube of butter instead of the whole thing for the frosting...still tastes great IMO.