Pumpkin Molasses Crinkles

Its my favorite time of year - cookie baking time.  The holidays mean a lot of different things to different people, but for me, it means its time to make lots and lots (and lots) of cookies.   And yes - eat those cookies (ok, maybe I will share a few).

These cookies were an experiment that went so SO right.  The flavor is just ooozing Christmas and childhood.  Though they are pumpkin and molasses - they taste like holiday gingerbread with a hint of pumpkin pie.  They are soft, slightly chewy with just a hint of crunch around the outside.  They are simply delicious (and addicting).

They are also pretty easy and make a bunch - something I really value in a holiday cookie.  In fact, this recipe made nearly 5 dozen.  The finished cookies freeze quite well, another big bonus.  They keep quite well unfrozen as well - just store in an airtight container for up to a week.  I tried these rolled in both granulated and powdered sugar and found them equally delicious both ways, though they keep a bit easier in granulated sugar.  I am glad I took a risk on these - they will most definitely be a new holiday tradition! 

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
2 1/3 cup Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp All-Spice
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp fresh grated Nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
114 g (1/2 cup) Butter (room temp)
1 cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 egg (room temp)
granulated or powdered sugar (or both)

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.  Add the brown sugar, molasses and pumpkin.  Beat until well combined.  Add the egg and beat until combined.

Gently stir in the flour mixture until its all very well combined.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or up to overnight.  The dough will still be fairly soft and sticky when you remove it, but its much easier to deal with.

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F

Make the dough into half tablespoon-sized balls.   Roll each ball in sugar and bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until set to touch (in my convection oven, 10 minutes usually ended up being just right).

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

When it comes to desserts - I'm not sure there is anything more popular than brownies and cheesecake.  They make the menu at nearly every restaurant  - and not just in the US either.  They seem to have near universal popularity.  So naturally, combining the two is just magical.  Giving it an awesome Fall pumpkin-spice twist is even more magical.

Really, I need to like seriously ease up on the sweets,  but on a boring rainy Sunday afternoon who doesn't make brownies?  Am I right?  I always wish I did more entertaining so I have excuses to make more things like this (without eating it all myself) - but I figure at this time of year all of you have parties and school events to make treats for so it will be useful to you even if it induces gestational diabetes for me (I kid, I kid).  In fact, if all goes according to plan (ha! when does that happen?) there will be even more awesome pumpkin sweetness coming up later this week. 

I came up with this recipe simply after doing an inventory of what I had laying around the house - its basically just your basic brownies topped with your basic cheesecake (pumpkin flavored!).  The pumpkin cheesecake is pretty spicy, cause thats the way I like it, but you can definitely leave out some of the cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg if you prefer it less so.   These ended up being just about the most addicting treat I have ever made - its like pumpkin cheesecake with a brownie crust.  Amazing.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Brownies:
113g Butter
140g Bittersweet Chocolate (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips)
2 Tbs Cocoa
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake:
300g Cream Cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tbs flour

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F
In a large bowl, combine all the cheesecake ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended.   Set aside.

Make the brownie mix.  In a double broiler (or a bowl over a pan of water) on medium heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate and the butter - stirring constantly.  When fully melted, remove from heat.

Stir in  sugar and cocoa powder.   Whisk in vanilla.  Whisk in eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth and silky. 

Butter and flour a 2 L (2.2 qt) baking pan or Pyrex dish.  Spread 3/4 of the brownie batter in the bottom.   Pour the Pumpkin Cheesecake mixture over that.  Dollop the rest of the brownie batter across the top, then drag a knife through it to make it all swirly and pretty (mine wasn't that pretty of a swirl, but hey it still works). 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.   Allow to cool at least 5 or 10 minutes before cutting.  They taste great the next day (keep chilled), but I thought they were best a little warm :)

Pumpkin Spice Cake

We have been having the most amazing Fall.  It has been cool, crisp air, blue skies, and colorful leaves.  Just plain dreamy*.  I don't really need much prodding to get in the Autumnal spirit - but the storybook Fall weather has had me obsessing even more than usual over all things Pumpkin.  I love it savory or sweet - but Pumpkin as dessert seems to be less common in Germany.  I will never forget when I served Pumpkin Pie to one of my German friends at Thanksgiving last year and watched him nearly gag - it was just not what he was expecting.

I love Pumpkin sweets though - especially this year the pregnancy sweet tooth has really gotten the better of me.   I have no less than 10 pumpkin desserts I am determined to make before the season is over.  But for years - years - I have been trying to make the perfect Pumpkin cake.  Cake that has all the autumnal-awesomeness of Pumpkin spice Lattes in the package of a perfectly super-moist and fluffy cake.

This is that cake.  Its very simple, very easy and really - just the perfect pumpkin cake that I have been trying for all this time.  Its very sweet and pumpkin-y, but with just the right amount of spice to even it out.  The applesauce makes it very moist without being overly rich.  Watch out, because its easy to eat a lot (ahem not that I know from experience or anything ).  And it makes a lot - you can make a large sheet cake, a bundt cake or a whole lot of cupcakes with this recipe (though for the latter two cooking times would need to be adjusted).   I enjoyed it topped with some Maple-Cranberry Compote which made it just an insane overload of Fall goodness - but it was just as delicious plain.  I imagine it would be delightful with a frosting, glaze, or whipped cream as well.  Oh - and ice cream.  I definitely recommend it with ice cream.  

Pumpkin Spice Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour (Germany: type 550)
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
approx. 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
 2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin puree
4 eggs


Butter and flour a large sheet-cake pan (9x13 inch or thereabouts - mine is a bit larger than this but not a full half sheet) and preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, oil and applesauce.  Blend in vanilla and pumpkin (be warned - its pretty soupy at this point and gets pretty splatter-y when using an electric mixer).   Beat in eggs one at a time.

Gently stir in flour in batches until all well combined and smooth.    Spread batter into pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  I found it most delightful when served still slightly warm :)


*Until this week...sigh....I think fall is leaving and winter is arriving and its very very sad.

Fall Favorites

You may have noticed, it is now officially Autumn.  I love this time of year - mostly because I love food this time of year.  I haven't been cooking much new lately, so I thought I would share with you some of my favorite fall recipes that I have posted on here way in the past - and that I have been enjoying quite a lot of recently (and am looking forward to enjoying even more of throughout October and November).  I really wanted to update all these recipes with new pictures seeing as some of the older ones are, to be honest, kinda embarrassing.  But I am very busy and also a little lazy so I haven't.  Please try these out in your own kitchen so you can see how pretty (and tasty) they really are :)

First of all, this time of year finds me cooking and preserving mad amounts of pumpkin to use in some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Naturally, I make a tasty snack with all those pumpkin seeds - spicy Pepitas.

I put the pumpkin puree to good use in Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup, and my very favorite of all....

The Perfect Autumn Chili - which I make large pots of quite frequently and keep in the freezer at pretty much all times.  I love it plain or with rice (please tell me you know the joy that is Chili & Rice?), on baked potatoes with sour cream, over baked polenta, and sometimes with a side of corn bread or corn tortillas.  A little chili out of the freezer on top of a baked potato nuked in the microwave is my number one go-to 10 minute meal.

I also love mushrooms this time of year, like in this simple and inexpensive Mushroom Risotto 

Or in, of course, soup.  Like Wild Mushroom & Leek soup

Of course, nothing is better on a cold, rainy Autumn day like hearty soup and sandwiches.  I like this Pulled Pork flavored with a little autumn goodness: fresh Apples and Maple Syrup.  I especially love it with a cup of comforting Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

Enjoy Fall Everyone!!

The Perfect Autumn Chili

This is Autumn in a bowl - the perfect thing to fill up on after a cold, crisp day raking leaves or visiting the apple orchard. The type of thing you want to eat after a long evening trick or treating or after sitting through extended regulation, in the rain on the cold metal bleachers as you watch your team pull out a win.

It is packed full of flavor from chipotle and ancho chilis. It is full of heartiness and nutrition from the black beans, kidney beans, and pumpkin. And it has a deep richness from the chocolate, espresso and dark beer. Its spicy and hearty, simple and inexpensive - all the things a good chili is supposed to be.

It has a lot of ingredients - but most of them are your average pantry staple making this pretty easy to prepare. It is also relatively healthy and low fat compared to your average chili. It is great over a baked potato, polenta, or rice. You can top traditionally with sour cream and shredded cheese if you like - I recommend trying shredded monterrey jack or crumbled cotija as an alternative to cheddar.



Hearty Autumn Chili
with pumpkin, black beans, and chocolate

1 large onion, chopped
1 heaping tsp. cumin seeds
5 cloves garlic, pressed
2 heaping tsp cumin powder
1 heaping tsp coriander
1 tbs dried chopped oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chili paste (see below)
1/4 cup espresso
.5 Liter dark beer
6 cups cooked black beans
2 cups cooked pumpkin puree
2 cans tomato chunks or diced tomatoes
1 cup water from soaking ancho chilies
50 g unsweetened chocolate
1/2 tbs cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 big tbs tomato paste
16 oz Kidney beans (drained)
salt (to taste)
olive oil

Chili paste:
2 big tbs chipotle paste (to make this, I take one small can of chipotles in adobo, remove all the seeds from the peppers (except for maybe one), and blend it up in a blender, sauce and all. I keep this in my fridge or freezer at pretty much all times. I find if I don't remove the seeds, its way too hot)
2 large dried ancho chilies, soaked in a cup or so of water for at least 30 minutes
1 tbs of the soaking water

First, make the chili paste. Take the soaked ancho chilies, remove the seeds, and chop up. In a blender or food processor, combine the chipotle paste, chopped ancho chilies, and a tbs of the soaking water. Pulse it until it is fairly smooth. Scrape it out into a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy pot. Add onions, season with salt, and saute over medium heat until they start becoming clear (around 5 minutes) and add cumin seeds. Cook another 5 minutes or so (don't let onions brown).

Add garlic and let it saute for around 1 minute, then add cumin powder, coriander, dried oregano and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and let cook for a minute or two more. Add espresso and stir.

Add the cooked black beans and combine. Stir in the chili paste, then pour in the beer. Let foam subside then stir to combine everything well. Stir in pumpkin, then tomatoes (with liquid) and the water from the ancho chilies. Stir everything well and let it heat up for a few minutes.

Stir in the pieces of unsweetened chocolate until they are melted and combined, then the sugar, vanilla, and tomato paste. Cover and let simmer on low heat for around 3o minutes.

Add kidney beans, then honey, then slowly stir in the cocoa powder. Stir up every thing real good, then let it simmer on low heat for around 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt (or additional chili paste or cayenne pepper if you want more heat) as necessary.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup

Yes, I like soup. And right now, with all the autumn weather and veggies, I am kinda obsessed. This soup is my absolute new favorite. Cory said it might even be the best soup I have ever made. Now, if I was in the US and had Cotija cheese and corn tortilla strips to garnish this with, it would be even better. For now, the Spicy pumpkin seeds from the previous post were perfect.

Spicy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup
2 cups cooked and pureed pumpkin
1 15 oz can black beans (one of the precious few I brought from the US)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, diced
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper
This Seasoning (a mexican chili and lime seasoning)
Salt
Pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
pinch ground ginger
couple pinches ground coriander
1 tsp white wine vinegar

In a stock pot or cast-iron soup pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions begin to carmelize. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and the white wine vinegar.

Add pumpkin puree and all the seasoning. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occaisionaly.

Meanwhile, boil the can of beans (no need to drain) in the vegetable broth for about 10 minutes.

Add beans and broth to the pumpkin. Stir and combine then cover and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender and serve hot.

Like I said, crumbled Cotija cheese and corn tortillas would be money with this soup.

And can I point out that this soup is like, ridiculously good for you? Its practically fat free and Pumpkin and Black Beans are total super foods - full of beta carotene and other antioxidents, dietary fiber, protein, iron...

Pepitas

I was cooking some more pumpkin today to put in the freezer and decided to make some of this spicy little seeds that have been haunting my dreams. I have seen these all over the internet lately - and Cory always talks about spicy pumpkin seeds he would get in LA. All I know is, they are super duper addictive! All amounts below are approximate, I just kind of eye-balled it.

Pepitas (Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds)
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
3 tsp Chili Powder with lime (or fresh lime, I didn't have any and I love this seasoning - the lime is strong)
Ground Sea Salt

Lay them all out on a cookie sheet and cook at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) for 10 to 20 minutes, or until nice and crispy (just taste a few to know).

I wish my pumpkin had more seeds!!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

No one ever called me a baker. Really, its not my thing. But lately - mostly ever since I saw these cookies on this sweet cooking blog - Everybody Likes Sandwiches - I have been having the urge to bake. I had big plans for baking, and I am sure I will still make some of the yummy cakes and pies and cookies I have been dreaming about. But now I remember why I don't really bake - cause I ain't so good at it and it makes a massively huge mess. Well, throw in the fact that I don't know what any of the ingredients are called here, and can't seem to find most of them, and you have these cookies.

Don't get me wrong, taste wise, these were everything I ever dreamed of. But they don't look pretty. Also, chocolate chips are nowhere to be found in Berlin so I got some yummy looking baking chocolate and cut it up. I had little chunks and big chunks and flakes - and so these ended up being more chocolate-swirly-chunky with a bit of pumpkin and oatmeal. The chocolate was really creamy and milky and rich, and I never thought I would say this, but it may have been too much chocolate. Shocking, I know.

Don't worry, I am making these again. Oh yes, I will conquer. And in the meantime, like I said, they still taste absolutely deliciously wonderful.


2 c flour
1 c quick or old-fashioned oats
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 c (2 sticks) butter
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla (I used something called vanilla sugar cause I could not find vanilla extract here. It has to exist somewhere though...)
1 c cooked and pureed pumpkin
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used probably almost 2 cups of milk chocolate chunks)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Set aside.
3. Cream butter. Gradually add both sugars and cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. (Can I just say right here that when you don't have a nifty stand mixer this part SUCKS)(I would like a Kitchen aid mixer for christmas. That is all.)
4. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet, leaving room for cookies to spread (and BOY do they spread). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tops of cookies are dry and spring back when touched lightly. Remove from baking sheet and cool on racks.

Why I love Fall - Pumpkin

Yes, I love all things pumpkin flavored. Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin bread, Pumpkin pie, Pumpkin cake, Pumpkin cookies, Pumpkin Soup...I even like roasted pumpkin seeds.

I saw lots of amazing pumpkins at the Farmers Market this past Saturday and I was a little afraid there wouldn't be anymore around closer to Thanksgiving. And we might not have any of the rest of the meal, but we WILL have pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Not to mention I want to try making this Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Chocolate chip cookie recipe. So, I decided to try and preserve some pumpkin to get me through the rest of the season. I did some reading and decided to go with freezing . It was ridiculously easy, which is kinda my style.

I started with 1/2 of a monster of a pumpkin - I am guessing it weighed about 8 or 9 pounds (the half, not the whole). The pumpkin needs to be cooked and pureed - I decided to 'roast' in the oven. I scooped out the guts, split the half into three pieces, brushed liberally with vegetable oil and a bit of salt, and placed on a baking sheet.

Turns out that baking sheet (read MY ONE AND ONLY baking sheet) does not fit in my tiny little European oven. So I moved them onto my pizza stone which worked out just fine. Until I realized they were touching the top of the oven and I had to move the rack down to like the bottom one. Finally I got them to fit in the oven. I baked at 200C (about 400 F) for roughly two hours. It was nice and soft and the peel came of easily.

I scooped out the flesh into a bowl. Here's where I got a little creative. I have no idea if this is going to affect my pumpkin puree or not - but I drained off quite a bit of liquid. It was just swimming in it. There was still quite a bit of liquid in the puree when I was done - but it just seemed like too much at first.

Then I scooped the puree into containers for freezing - I got 2 2-cup containers and 2 1-cup containers for a total of 6 cups of pumpkin puree. Thats enough for a lot of baking - one recipe of cookies takes 1 cup of puree.

I let the puree cool down to room temperature then stuck them in my freezer. Now I have handy fresh pumpkin anytime I want to do some baking. Yay!