Category Archives: Dessert

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there has been a serious shortage of candy corn laden concoctions or cookies in the shape of pumpkins and ghosts on here.

Lately…Halloween and I just haven’t been friends.

It wasn’t until just now when a bunch of kids SO. EXCITED. to be dressed up and getting free candy that they were literally dancing on my doorstep screaming trick or treat then SPRINTED to the next house did I remember….

Oh. Yeah.

Halloween ROCKS!

Sorry I’m not sorry about the theme cookies and candy corn thing, though.

That won’t be happening.

I just can’t do it.

Also, I really hate candy corn.

I’ve got you more than covered on everything from here to the new year, though, fear not.

There is one thing I have always love love loved about this holiday and always will!

Pumpkin.

So! For you: a thought.

Remember Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread?

Add pumpkin.

Crazy talk, right?

It is.

It’s also awesome talk.

To make up for my lack of Halloween spirit I went a little crazy with Halloween features in picnik…

This is Laura!

She is responsible for the pumpkin pull-apart nonsense.

Thanks, Laura!

The boys enjoyed it too…

Enough to grab a hunk IMMEDIATELY after it came out of the oven.

Yep…it was risk-loss-of-tastebuds good.

((Do you SEE all those spooky effects?? I am SO spirited!!)

Oh! and if I WERE to make cookies in the shape of anything…

I would want them to look like this.

That lady does it right.

So Happy Halloween!

Have a piece of candy…or 10.

Remember what it felt like to wear your dream costume, ring a doorbell and get showered with candy.

Also add pumpkin to basically everything.

‘Tis the season =)

❤ Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

Recipe from Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

**Note: This recipe is not the same as the regular cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread (but just as delicious) ((also pumpkin-ified))

For the bread:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

For the filling:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black).

2. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through.

3. Allow milk and butter mixture to cool a bit (until it’s warm but not hot) then add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy).

4. Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

5. Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

6. While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Also, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.

7. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle(approximately…don’t stress about this) Spread the brown butter evenly over the dough then evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand.

8. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
***This part is just like the other recipe.  See this page for step by step pictures

9. In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan, bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is a very deep golden brown.

Time for dessert!

And we’re makin POPTARTS!

Actually more like toaster strudels.

Which is better anyway.

The crust on these is ridiculously buttery and delicious.

Take a minute to be horrified by the 2 full sticks of butter and not much else involved in the recipe….

Then get over yourself and savor a treat that is SO worth it!

(well…occasionally anyway)

Why did it never occur to me that pumpkin pie poptarts would be awesome and would also be fun to say?

Luckily, I figured it out and even luckily-er….butternut squash is JUST as awesome as pumpkin.

Plus maple syrup glaze?

Sign me up.

We’re also making parfaits but first we need puree.

Come along, dear friends, this is gonna rock…hard.

So for dessert, good old butternut squash loses its head and gets chopped in half BUT THEN!

It gets dotted with butter and brown sugar.

So everything is ok.

Roast this guy up for about an hour (sorry) until you can easily pierce it with a fork and the sugar gets caramelized

(((Between you and me…..

I really think this whole process could be sped up quite a bit.

If you peel and cube that squash and toss it with some butter and brown sugar then roast it for like you know…TWENTY minutes instead of an hour I bet it would be just as good.

Next time.)))

For now, let it cool for a while then scoop the flesh (INCLUDING that sugarbutter nonsense that is collected where the seeds were) into your food processor if you’re lucky enough to own one of those.

If you’re more like me…put it in the blender and start pulsing.

((I bought a blender! The cheapest one I could find.  It doesn’t work very well. But it does work!……eventually))

You’ll end up with butternut squash puree!

OH the possibilities.

First I made parfaits.

A parfait is just layered things so I added some spices to the puree (a mixture which basically amounted to about a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice), put a glob at the bottom of a pretty glass, layered crumbled ginger snap cookies on top, then finished with vanilla whipped cream I made.

(Recipe: heavy cream+vanilla…beat to death)

If you’re going to serve these as dessert on their own keep layering until you have pretty containers full of yummy parfait.

I stopped after one layer and changed my mind BECAUSE

1. Parfaits are nice but I really wanted to make these pies

2. I just straight up wasn’t going to have enough puree to fill 9 glasses like I wanted to and mini parfaits are lame

3. I REALLY wanted to make those pies.

SO bring on the pie crust.

I’m going to include the pie crust recipe here in case you’re interested….

but I decided that pie crust is a different post entirely.

The easy way is to just use your favorite pie dough and work some magic like that.

I will not judge you for buying prepared crust.

I promise.

So cut your dough to the size rectangle you want…

Plop (what a gross word…plop….) some puree between two sheets, seal, honey wash, bake and BAM!

Maple is the PERFECT complement.  Drizzle glaze generously.

That fork is all for show.

If you really need to feel civilized wash your hands or something.

Idea: Pie within a pie? Stick your hand pie in your spoon pie (aka parfait) and have DOUBLE PIE!!

Or just pick one.

Either way….

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Butternut Squash Puree

Recipe adapted from http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/butternut-squash-puree/

1 large butternut squash

3-6 tablespoons unsalted butter; diced

about 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise; scoop out and toss the seeds. Place the halves flesh-side-up on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle the diced butter and brown sugar evenly on both halves.
4. Roast for 45-60 minutes or until the butternut squash can easily be pierced with a knife.
5. A liquid mixture of butter and brown sugar will form in the wells of the squash, make sure you include this deliciousness with the puree.
6. Remove squash from the oven; allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and liquid and place into your food processor or blender.

Butternut Squash PopTart/Strudel/Hand Pie things with Maple Glaze

Recipe adapted from Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts with Maple Glaze

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

slightly watered down honey (for brushing the dough)

For the Filling:

3/4 cup pureed butternut squash (recipe above)

1 large egg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Maple Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons milk

To prepare the Crust:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.

2. Add the cold butter and break it up in the flour mixture using your fingers, a pastry cutter or a food processor until only pea sized lumps remain in your mixture.  The mixture should also hold together when squeezed into a ball.

3. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk.  Add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and stir to make sure that moisture is introduced to all of the flour mixture.

4. Lightly dust a clean counter with flour and knead the dough on the floured counter for a few turns until it really starts to come together.  Divide the dough in two, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes (absolutely necessary.  The dough is impossible to work with until after it has been chilled).

((While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling: Add the spices to your puree.  Whisk in egg, salt and sugar and place in the fridge to rest while you roll out the dough.))

5. Sprinkle some wax paper and sprinkle with flour-I found the dough easier to roll and work with on wax paper…it sticks less

6. Press dough flattish (give it a press or two then stop touching it…there is so much butter involved that the heat from your hands will make it super sticky really quickly)

7. Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness.  The dough should be slightly larger than 9×12-inches.  Trim dough with a pizza cutter, creating a rectangle that is 9-inches tall and 12-inches long.  Using the pizza cutter, cut each side into thirds, creating 9 squares.  Place dough squares in the fridge while you roll out the second piece of dough in the same way.

8. Brush one set of 9 squares with your honey/water mixture (it’ll be like glue for the top layer of dough).

9. Spoon about one tablespoon of pie filling into the center of each brushed dough square.  Top with a piece of dough and use a floured fork to crimp the sides closed.  Make holes in each tart either by poking with a fork or slashing with a knife. Brush the top of each pie with more honey wash. (The honey will make them nice and golden brown)

10. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Let tarts rest in the fridge for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.

11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

12. While the tarts bake, whisk together ingredients for the glaze and set aside.

13. Let baked tarts rest on a cooling rack to cool completely before glazing.  Best served within 2 days.

Here’s the thing….

I’m not a huge cake person.

Don’t get me wrong…it’s a birthday requirement I can definitely live with.

But given the choice…I would almost always choose some other dessert over cake.

Especially if there is a brownie option.

But you know…birthdays happen.

And on birthdays you eat cake.

This past weekend my friend Bridget visited because she just had a birthday and I epically failed so we had our own little celebration.

And, obviously, I made a cake.

It involved a big girl ingredient called Kahlua.

Do not be alarmed.

This cake does not taste like booze.

It tastes like delicious chocolate cake with coffee liqueur.

Get excited

It came from this awesome book (thanks, Mom!) called The Cake Mix Doctor.  The recipes start with a plain old box of cake mix and doctor it up, (get it? get it?) until it’s something ridiculously delicious that is SO easy to make but will make everyone think you’re a master chef.

Best thing ever.

I actually made this cake for my friend Claudia over the summer.  I brought it to the lab and it was a huge hit!

It even made me into a cake person…at least for the day.

It is UNBELIEVABLY moist and has just the right amount of sweetness and chocolatey flavor.

I like that it has a glaze rather than a 2 inch thick layer of pure sugary grossness.

It may look like boring old chocolate cake but do not be deceived by its modest appearance! This is a chocolate cake like you have never had.

Trust me. This is coming from a pretty strict brownie person.

SO let’s boogy.

(ugh boogy? really? I need to hire a writer or something)

The cool thing about this recipe is that it requires only one bowl!

Throw everything in there.  Yup. Everything.  All at once.

Mix it up until everything is well combined.  That’s harder than you think because of the ridiculously thick batter. Check this out…

Luckily that’s all you have to do.  Now spread it in a pan and bake it up.  The original recipe calls for a bundt pan.

I do not own a bundt pan.

So I made it a sheet cake.  Bridget forgave me.

Real life.

You could also make it a layer cake with two rounds, or even make it into cupcakes if that’s your thing.

Bridget is not a cupcake person.  She is a sheet cake person.  What kind of person are you?

(Suddenly that sounds like a loaded questions…it’s really not)

Chocolate cakes tend to overcook more easily than lighter cakes so start with way less bake time than you think you need…you may surprise yourself…then let bake longer as needed.

When it’s all cooked up…stab it all over with a fork or a chopstick…

(yeah I have those…but no bundt pan…it’s fine)

…or whatever other pokey object you have laying around.  You’re making holes for the glaze to seep into the cake.

Yeah.  Important stuff here.

Next take your glaze (powdered sugar and kahlua…I added a little milk…so simple!) and pour it all over.

I decided not to sugarcoat things here.

(Bridget’s got that covered HA!)

Yes, that is Bridget pouring the glaze so I can take a picture.

Yes, I did make a corny sugarcoating joke just now.

Yes, we are on the floor.

There’s better light next to my back door than anywhere else in my house.

Real life in action right there.

Pretty much after this you know what to do!

Light some candles, sing happy birthday, don’t forget the cha cha chas…

Maybe shave a little chocolate over it for added pizazz…

Savor that supermoist, melt-in-your-mouth, best-cake-you-ever-had feeling.

Have a good time with some good friends and some good food.

Happy Birthday Bridget!

❤ Ellen

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

Recipe adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn

Cake:

1 package (18.25 oz) plain devil’s food cake mix (whichever is you favorite)

1 package (5.9 oz) chocolate INSTANT pudding mix

3/4 cup Kahlua (**note: I bought a 200 mL bottle, used 3/4 c for the cake and the rest for the glaze)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs (really)

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

remaining Kahlua (**note: original recipe calls for 1/4 cup kahlua and no milk.  I just used the rest of my little bottle…it was delicious but had a more subtle Kahlua flavor)

milk

**Oven 350 degrees

1. Place cake mix, pudding mix, Kahlua, water, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, scrape the bowl, then increase the mixer speed to medium for 2-3 minutes more

2.  When batter is thick, smooth and completely combined, pour into a greased and floured cake pan of your choice (bundt for original recipe, sheet cake, rounds or cupcakes..doesn’t matter!)

3. FOR A BUNDT PAN: bake 45-47 minutes.  OTHER PANS WILL NOT BAKE THIS LONG! You can cut the time at least in half.

4. To prepare the glaze: mix sugar and remaining Kahlua, then add milk a little at a time, mixing completely, until you reach the desired consistency.

5. Poke holes in your cake so the glaze will absorb into the cake itself and pour the glaze all over the cake (in a bundt-allowing the glaze to drizzle down the sides, in a sheet cake-spreading evenly)

6.  Shave some chocolate over the cake just before serving.  Enjoy!

Notes:

• The Cake Doctor suggests adding 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to play up the Mexican flavors.  I’ve never tried it but I bet it would be delicious.  If you try that let me know!
• Cake keeps on the counter up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.  You can also freeze it (wrapped well) for up to 6 months! Let it thaw completely on the counter before serving.