pumpkin

December 2, 2015

[Small Batch] Pumpkin Turnovers.

Note: I’ve had this post “baking” [ha, I’m punny!] for quite awhile now, but as aforementioned, I have not been feeling well at all. Therefore, it is a bit delayed, but pumpkin and 30-minute puff pastry never get old in my book, so I hope you enjoy it all the same. 🙂

You’ve heard of apple turnovers, and chances are you’ve even heard of cherry turnovers. What about pumpkin turnovers? Probably not as common, but they do exist. The idea popped into my head a few weeks ago, after I first learned how to make small-batch, 30-minute puff pastry. I was always under the [very mistaken] assumption that making puff pastry was difficult and definitely not something I’d ever be able to conquer.

That all changed a few weeks ago, when I took a class at Kitchen Conservatory with the Dessert for Two blog author, Christina. In the class, we made homemade apple turnovers, complete with homemade 30-minute puff pastry. I volunteered to help make the puff pastry, as I had never done it and I was obviously intrigued. Immediately I was blown away by how easy it was, and perhaps more importantly, how delicious the turnovers tasted.

Needless to say, I have been absolutely obsessed with quick puff pastry ever since that class. I have officially seen the light: puff pastry is the shiznit [as Snoop Dogg would say], and it’s really not that difficult to make!

I digress. After the class and my new-found puff pastry enlightenment, I made apple turnovers for a friend a few days later. Then the idea for pumpkin turnovers hit me, so I had to do a quick Google search to see if anyone thought of the idea before I did. Of course, someone already thought of it. But that’s okay because the recipe where I found the pumpkin filling (All Recipes) lists store-bought puff pastry as an ingredient, rather than homemade. I’m not snobby enough to tell you to not use store bought puff pastry, but I will just say this: homemade puff pastry is not out of your reach. There’s just something so satisfying about making your own puff pastry. I was seriously blown away, and I still am. I just want to eat puff pastry all the time for every meal, but then I’d probably gain 20 pounds and turn into a stick of butter. 😉

So, with all that to say, you know what to do. Make yourself some turnovers from scratch, and impress everyone with your amazing skillz.

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Small Batch Pumpkin Turnovers.
Yield: Four turnovers.

Ingredients:

For the 30-minute puff pastry:

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. fine salt
10 TBSP. high-quality butter, such as Plugara or Kerrygold (5 ounces), cold
⅓ cup ice cold water

For the pumpkin filling:

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (Just the plain stuff; not the pumpkin pie filling!)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I make my own, but you may also buy it.)

For the turnover topping:

One large egg, lightly beaten
Turbinado sugar

Instructions:

Prepare the puff pastry dough first (you’ll need to prepare it in advance, as it takes some time to chill): In a medium bowl, add the flour and salt. Stir to mix.
Cube the butter and then add it to the flour bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the dough. It will be very crumbly, and you’re done when the butter is in uniform pieces all about the size of peas.
Next, make a hole in the center of the dough and pour in all of the water. Using a fork, stir to combine the dough.
Flour a cutting board, and add the dough. Pat it into a rough square. You will still see chunks of butter and it will seem too dry, but do not add extra water. The dough will come together with each roll.
Flour the rolling pin, and roll the dough out in front of you into a rectangle about 10″ long. No need to be too precise here.
Fold the bottom third of the dough over the middle of the dough. Fold the upper third of the dough on top of the middle too. Rotate the dough one-quarter turn, and repeat. Use additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
Roll out, fold, and turn the dough at least 6 or 7 times.
When done, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, or overnight. Dough may be frozen, too.
When you’re about ready to roll out the dough and bake, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
For the pumpkin filling: Simply mix together all four ingredients in a medium bowl until combined, and set aside until ready to fill the turnover dough. {Note: You’ll probably have extra pumpkin filling. Stir the leftovers into some oatmeal or just eat it with a spoon. :)}
To make roll out and shape the turnovers: Roll out the chilled dough into a 12-inch square. Use flour as you go to prevent sticking.
Divide the pumpkin mixture into four piles in the corners of the dough, but leave about ¾” of border. Cut the dough into four equal squares. Fold the edges of the dough over each of the pumpkin filling piles. You will have four triangular turnovers.
Press the edges closed with your fingers (feel free to use a bit of the beaten egg as a “glue” to seal the turnovers closed), and crimp with the tines of a fork. Carefully transfer the turnovers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Brush each turnover generously with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
Bake the turnovers for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy on the outside. Allow to cool for a bit on a cooling rack, then dig in!

+ 30-minute puff pastry recipe and original apple turnover recipe from Dessert for Two.
+ Pumpkin filling recipe from All Recipes.

September 21, 2015

Small-Batch Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes.

It’s September, and I’m on the pumpkin train. Truth be told, I have been on the pumpkin train since about August. I’m one of those people who wishes fall would hurry up and get here. Yeah, I even wish away summer at times. I get why some of you summer lovers probably hate people like me, but that’s okay. Fall is the best season, and pumpkin is so delicious in every form. These cupcakes are no exception to that pumpkin rule.

This recipe is one of those small-batch baking recipes, of which I am a huge fan. The recipe claims to make four cupcakes, but I got five. I’m okay with that. The pumpkin flavor shines through superbly in these; often, I find that some pumpkin baked goods are not pumpkin-y enough. But these were really, really good. I took one bite of my “cupcake sandwich” [the only way to eat cupcakes, obvz], and I was immediately impressed. Me being immediately impressed with baked goods does not happen often, as my roommate can attest. The texture of the cake is perfect, super pumpkin-y, and the chai spices shine through beautifully.

The chai buttercream is also really tasty. I love chai flavors, and they pair so well with pumpkin! I gave one of these cupcakes to a friend, and he exclaimed, “Wow, these taste like they were made by a professional, like at a professional bakery!” I just looked at him nonchalantly, and said, “I am a professional.” 😉

Yes, they’re that good. And the small quantity means you can make them for yourself. Or you could be nice and share them with your friends and/or significant other. Just make ’em if you’re on the pumpkin train, because they’re delicious. Thanks to Christina from Dessert for Two for her awesome recipes. I always know that her recipes will turn out fantastic; this woman is legit. And I’m also really excited to be meeting her in about a month!

PS: I also think these would make great muffins. Then you have an excuse for eating them for breakfast (sans frosting)… Or just eat cupcakes for breakfast, buttercream and all. I’m not telling anyone. 😀

cupcakesammich1 — {Cupcake sandwiches are the best kinds of sandwiches.}

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Small-Batch Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes.
Yield: According to the recipe, it makes four cupcakes. I got five, which was fine by me! 😉

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
– 7 TBSP. all-purpose flour
– ½ tsp. baking powder
– ⅛ tsp. baking soda
– ¼ tsp. salt
– ½ tsp. cinnamon
– ¼ tsp. ground ginger
– ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg [I used ground.]
– 1 large egg
– ½ cup pumpkin puree [NOT pumpkin pie mix. Plain pumpkin puree.]
– ¼ cup brown sugar
– 3 TBSP. granulated sugar
– 3 TBSP. vegetable oil

For the chai buttercream:
– 1⅓ cups powdered sugar
– 4 TBSP. softened, unsalted butter
– 1 chai tea bag + 2 TBSP. boiling water [Or 2 tsp. chai concentrate syrup.]

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a muffin tin with four (or five) cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until combined, being careful to not overmix.
4. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, and bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. {Note: Mine only needed to bake for about 25 minutes.} Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
5. While the cupcakes are cooling, pour the boiling water over the chai tea bag and let it steep for about ten minutes. Meanwhile, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until it’s light and fluffy, or for about 3-4 minutes. Add the (cooled) steeped tea (or chai concentrate syrup), and mix well. Frost the cupcakes when they are cool, and serve. Enjoy!

+ Recipe via Dessert for Two.

August 1, 2015

{Vegan} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

My roommate had just gotten home and walked into the kitchen as I was pulling these muffins out of the oven. We like to play a guessing game as to what the other person is baking when we get home, based on whatever we smell when we walk in.

“They’re pumpkin muffins,” I said.
“I… think you’re in the wrong season!” she replied.
“Yeah. I know it’s July… I don’t care. I love pumpkin!” I responded back to her.

I decided to leave the roomie a “wrong season muffin” on the counter so she would have a pre/post run snack at 5:00AM the following morning. (The woman is training for a marathon… the least I can do is spare her a muffin!) When I got to work that day, she IMed me via our work messenger and said, “I love wrong season muffins!”

My response to that was: “I’m glad to hear it! What makes this even better is that they’re vegan!”

pumpkinmuffincut — {I may or may not have used too many chocolate chips…}

I know what you’re thinking: Cool story, bruh! So what’s the moral of that story? The moral of the story is: wrong season muffins are awesome. It’s July, and the heat and humidity are pretty gross here in Missouri. But I don’t care. I have had a fierce pumpkin craving for awhile now. These vegan muffins had been enticing me for quite sometime. So I finally gave in, and man I’m glad I did. You’d never know these muffins are vegan. They’re the perfect muffin-y texture and the pumpkin flavor shines through just right. I imagine the cinnamon comes through nicely too, but I added too many chocolate chips, so the chocolate sorta overshadowed the cinnamon. [Although a coworker said that you can never have too many chocolate chips, and I’m inclined to agree.]

I love recipes like these because they can be enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans [aka me, a butter lover] alike. In summary: Wrong Season muffins are pretty legit. 🙂

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{Vegan} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Yield: About 10-12 regular-sized muffins.

Ingredients:
– 1 flax egg [One flax egg = 1 TBSP. flax seed meal + 3 TBSP. of water. Stir and let sit for about five minutes before using. It’ll get gelatinous like egg whites; that’s the binding ingredient!]
– 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
– 1 cup almond milk + 1 TBSP. lemon juice [or white distilled vinegar, or just sub buttermilk if you’re not vegan]
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 2 TBSP. vegetable or canola oil [I think I used light olive oil in this case… Doesn’t really matter too much. Coconut oil would work as well.]
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1/2 tsp. baking soda
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1 tsp. cinnamon
– 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
– 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
– 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips [I used mini semisweet chocolate chips. You can use nondairy chocolate chips for vegans.]

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 10-12 paper liners, and set aside.
2. If you haven’t already, prepare the flax egg by mixing the flax seed meal with three tablespoons of water in a large bowl. Allow it to rest for five minutes to become gelatinous.
3. Add the pumpkin puree, almond milk [with the lemon juice or vinegar, it’ll get curdled; it’s a great vegan buttermilk substitute!], brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract to the flax egg when it’s ready. Stir the ingredients together until just combined.
4. Next, add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
5. Carefully place both flours into a sifter, and sift them over the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
6. Add the chocolate chips, and stir again until it’s just incorporated. Be careful to not over-stir. {Note: If the batter is overly thick, feel free to add a splash of almond milk or orange juice. I had no issues with the thickness of the batter, though.}
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin until each liner is filled nearly all the way [about 7/8ths full]. Sprinkle several more chocolate chips on top for presentation, or if you really love extra chocolate [or both, if you’re me!].
8. Bake for about 22-28 minutes or until fluffy, slightly golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. {Note: I only had to bake for 22 minutes. Any longer than that would’ve been too much in my oven. Just keep an eye on them, but don’t open the oven door too much.}
9. Let the muffins rest in the pan for abut five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

+ Recipe via Minimalist Baker.

February 18, 2015

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes.

Apparently yesterday was National Pancake Day.

pumpkinpancakes_cover — [Not having natural daylight really sucks. I don’t think my lack of camera skillz truly did these pancakes justice…]

For a self-proclaimed foodie, I’m quite terrible at remembering food-related holidays. To be fair, though, there is actually a food-related holiday in the United States pretty every single day of the year. Coincidence? I think not. #MERICA

That being said, I think that National Pancake Day is pretty darn important.

So I busted out my Pancakes cookbook, and decided that spiced pumpkin pancakes had to be made to celebrate this fine day.

I know it’s in the middle of winter here in St. Louis, but I’m a rebel and I enjoy making pumpkin things year round. Pumpkin is just delicious, ya know?

I was seriously in awe at how good these pancakes turned out. I mean, they’re really good. They’ve got the perfect balance of pumpkin flavor plus the typical “fall” spices [cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves]. Sometimes I think that pumpkin baked goods don’t taste quite “pumpkiny” enough, but these pancakes hit the spot. The pancakes are also incredibly light and fluffy. Paired with real maple syrup, they were a delicious Tuesday evening post-being-stuck-in-the-office-all-damn-day treat. I was pleased, needless to say.

[Special thanks to my half-Canadian maple syrup snob of a dude for gifting this tasty, Grade A syrup to me. I like you. And real maple syrup.]

Before I share the recipe with you, I wanted to share a few notes on the Pancakes cookbook from which this pumpkin pancake recipe comes. This cookbook is all about pancakes, obviously. I purchased it from Amazon a while back, and I have made the vegan pancakes from the cookbook many times. I’m not vegan; I’m just lazy, but they’re still good pancakes, even for my especially lazy moments. I also love to add cinnamon and even cardamom to the vegan pancake recipe from time to time. The book’s author – Adrianna – is basically a pancake genius. Making these pumpkin pancakes just proves that; they were damn good pumpkin pancakes, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, since yesterday was National Pancake Day, it finally occurred to me that it had been far too long since I had used this cookbook. You see, I have this sad habit of purchasing tons of cookbooks, and then leaving them all on my shelf to collect dust. In a world where it’s all too easy to just do a quick Google search or peruse Pinterest for a recipe, my physical cookbooks often get forgotten.

All that rambling aside: I’m glad I decided to open up the good, old-fashioned cookbook, and make myself some from-scratch pancakes. It was worth it; it was delicious, and best of all, it reminded me to slow down, and enjoy some freakin’ pumpkin in the middle of winter in Saint Louis! Winning.

pancakesonchair — [I think this photo is by far my favorite.]

pancakesonfork — [To quote Bruce the shark from Finding Nemo, “JUST A BOITE!”]

Yes, I have a power symbol tattoo. It was my gateway drug to the tattoo world. If you think that’s crazy, you should see my baking half sleeve! 😉

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Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes.
Yield: About eight pancakes. I only got seven, but that’s because I like my pancakes big and fluffy [no, that’s not a euphemism].

Ingredients:
– 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
– 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour [Note: the original recipe calls for whole-wheat flour, but I {surprisingly} could only find my pastry flour. The end result meant that my pancakes were super duper light and fluffy, but you can use regular whole-wheat flour. Or, you can simply use only all-purpose flour [1 cup total], but I like the nuttiness that the whole-wheat flour adds to the pancakes; it really mixes well with pumpkin.]
– 2 TBS. light brown sugar
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1 tsp. baking soda
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
– 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
– 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
– 1 large egg
– 1/4 cup unsweetened, canned pumpkin puree [NOT pumpkin pie mix!]
– 1/2 TBS. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
– 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
2. Measure the buttermilk in a glass measuring cup. Add the egg, pumpkin puree, cooled butter, and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously to ensure that all of the wet ingredients are combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until the batter is just combined. Allow it to rest for a few minutes while you prepare the stovetop for cooking. Note: Do not over beat the batter. Pancake batter is supposed to be lumpy.
4. Preheat a pan on the stove to medium heat, and add butter or oil to the pan to cook the pancakes. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot, greased skillet, and cook pancake for about 2-3 minutes, or until you notice the top starts to bubble up. Flip the pancake over, and allow it to continue cooking for about 1-2 more minutes.
5. Continue this process until all pancakes are cooked through. Place cooked pancakes on a cookie sheet in a warm oven [at about 200 degrees F] to keep them warm while you’re making the rest. Serve immediately.

+ Recipe barely adapted from Pancakes: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack, by Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen.

datstack — [Look at that glorious stack of pancakes. And my amazing cat mug in the background. Yes.]

September 30, 2014

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Confession: I am one of those people who is usually thinking about pumpkin-flavored everything, changing leaf colors, and fall fashion very early. And by “very early,” I mean as in at some point around the middle of July. [This is probably mostly due to the fact that Illinois/Missouri summers are typically humid and disgusting. And the sun isn’t exactly my friend. #gingerproblems]

I know it’s extremely cliché, and you can mock me if you want, but I don’t care. I LOVE fall. Fall is the best season ever, and that’s non-negotiable. If you don’t like fall, I don’t think we can be friends. Like, you can’t sit with us! That’s how much we can’t be friends. Because fall is SRS BZNS. {Five points for you if you got the “you can’t sit with us” reference; and ten points if you get the “serious business” reference.}

Anyway. In order to kick off my fall obsession, I decided that I needed to get on my fall baking grind. And what better way to start off my fall baking than with pumpkin? First I made some pumpkin muffins, and they were tasty. I’ll definitely share that recipe at some point. But then I made these pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. And I knew immediately that it would be cruel to not share these with y’all. They were such a hit with coworkers and friends. These cupcakes are so awesome that I was asked to make them for my good friend Cassidy’s bachelorette party. Needless to say, the ladies in the party also approved of these.

What? You don’t put your cupcakes on your window sill outside?

The cake is moist [sorry for the usage of the word ‘moist,’ but there’s really no other good way to describe good quality cake] and bursting with all of the best fall flavors – nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. The pumpkin flavor is definitely noticeable, but it’s not overwhelming [then again, I love pumpkin so I might be biased]. And the cinnamon cream cheese butter cream frosting just takes everything to the next level.

Even if you’re not as opinionated about fall as I am, you should still make these cupcakes. They’re awesome. Enough said.

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: I got a little over twenty regular sized cupcakes.

Cupcake Ingredients:

– 2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 tsp. baking soda
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1 tsp. coarse salt
– 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp. ground ginger
– 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg [I used about 1/4 tsp. of dried, ground nutmeg.]
– 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice [I got my recipe for pumpkin pie spice from My Baking Addiction. You can buy it from the store, but it’s so easy to make.]
– 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
– 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
– 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree [not pumpkin pie filling]

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

– 2 (8) ounce packages cream cheese, softened
– 1 stick butter, softened
– 2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar [AKA an entire bag of powdered sugar.]
– 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
– 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Make the Cupcakes!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. Whisk together the dry ingredients [flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice] in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer [fitted with the paddle attachment], mix in brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add the dry ingredients and and mix until smooth. Mix in pumpkin puree until just combined.

3. Fill each cupcake liner with batter about halfway full. Bake until the tops spring back when touched, and a toothpick comes out clean. Mine baked for about twenty minutes, but they may take 20-25 minutes. You may also rotate the pans if necessary. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Make the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting!

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer [or with a hand mixer], beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

2. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until it’s mixed in completely [keep the mixer on low speed at first unless you like being covered in powdered sugar].

3. Mix in vanilla and cinnamon.

4. Pipe or spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Add pretty fall sprinkles. Do it.

Recipe from Jamie at My Baking Addiction.