Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Icing

Once again I found myself needing to use some pumpkin I had sitting in the fridge so I decided to try a new recipe and found these over at Martha Stewart (note that if you are ever using left over pumpkin puree that you are preserving in the fridge, be sure to thaw it at room temperature until adding it to your recipe - unless of course it calls for chilled pumpkin). These cookies had my name written all over them with their pumpkin and browned butter combo, it's what I live on lately. I made several of my own adjustments to the recipe such as slightly altering the spice amounts, replacing some of the brown sugar with granulated sugar, using salted butter and reducing the amount of salt added and omitting the vanilla from the icing (because really all you need is the browned butter flavor). Then the biggest change I made was replacing the evaporated milk with a smaller amount of sour cream in the cookie dough batter and replacing the evaporated milk in the icing with half and half. These cookies are Heavenly! They are so soft, pillow-y and moist. The icing, which is more of a frosting really, reminds me of a caramel or penuche frosting. I love how browned butter combined with sugar can instantly create a caramel like flavor. 
You wouldn't believe how quickly these cookies disappeared! Everyone loved them including me. I love trying a new cookie recipe and finding it is a definite keeper. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Icing
Yields about 4 1/2 - 6 dozen (depending on how large you make them)

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 recipe Browned Butter Icing, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt, set aside. In the bowl an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and set on medium speed, whip together butter, light-brown sugar and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combine. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract, then mix in pumpkin puree. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combine (be sure to scrape down bowl throughout entire mixing process).
Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the cookie dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheets, spacing cookies at least 1 inch apart*. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes until tops spring back when touched. Allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely then prepare icing and spread icing over cookies. Store in an airtight container in a single layer in refrigerator and rest at room temperature before serving.

*Alternately you can drop dough by the tablespoonfuls onto the lined baking sheets (they just won't look as nicely circular). You can make them larger than listed in the recipe (which is what I did after the first batch because the 1 1/2-inch rounds yields pretty small cookies). If you do decide to pipe them bigger just allow a little more space between each cookie.

Browned Butter Icing

Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar
10 Tbsp salted butter, diced into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup half and half

Directions:
Measure 4 cups of powdered sugar into a mixing bowl, set aside. Brown butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally (butter will melt, after a few minutes it will splatter, then it will foam, then golden brown flecks will begin to appear in the center of the foamy bubbles. This is when you remove it from heat - I wait for for the flecks to expand to about a 1 1/2 to 2-inch circle over the foam then immediately remove). Carefully pour browned butter over powdered sugar in mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to scrape any excess butter and browned bits from pan. Add half and half and stir mixture until smooth. Spread over cookies, adding additional half and half, about 1 - 2 tsp at a time, to icing mixture to thin as it will thicken as it sits.


Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Martha Stewart

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce

What is the best part of the holidays? Family, friends and FOOD of course! I love that I get to indulge in the deliciousness of the holidays a little early since I like to post the holiday recipes before the holidays arrive. This time around I wanted to create a dessert recipe that would be an exciting twist on a classic. I just have to say it, this cheesecake is dee-vine! Just imagine your favorite pumpkin pie meets a fluffy, rich cheesecake and then it's generously covered in salted caramel sauce and finished with sweetened whipped cream. Yeah, almost to good to be true. I don't know that I'm going to care much about pumpkin pie during the holidays anymore, this has definitely stolen its limelight for me. Start the holidays out right, with a gourmet and autumn inspired cheesecake! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce
Yields about 10 servings
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers (from 14 sheets)
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
6 Tbsp salted butter, melted

3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened (I recommend using Philadelphia)
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks

topping:
caramel sauce, store bought or homemade, recipe follows 
coarse sea salt
sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:
To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together crushed graham crackers and light-brown sugar (being sure to break up any clumps of the brown sugar). Pour in melted butter and mix until mixture is evenly coated. Firmly press mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan coming within about 1-inch of the top edge. Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

To prepare filling: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together cream cheese, light-brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth, about - 30 seconds. Mix in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add in pumpkin and vanilla and mix on low speed just until combined. Add in whole eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition just until combine, then add in egg yolks and mix just until combine. Lift and tap mixing bowl against the counter several times to release air bubbles from mixture. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and bake in preheated oven (325 degrees) for 1 hour, then turn oven off and allow cheesecake to rest in oven 25 - 30 minutes (without opening oven door). Remove from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill 5 hours. Slice and drizzle each serving with a generous amount of caramel sauce, sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt then top with optional sweetened whipped cream. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup salted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Gather all of your ingredients and have them nearby ready to add to the mixture as needed. In a heavy-bottomed 3 quart saucepan, heat sugar and water over moderately high heat whisking constantly to dissolve sugar. Once mixture reaches a boil, stop whisking and allow mixture to boil until it reaches a dark amber color, carefully swirling pan occasionally. Once mixture reaches a dark amber color, immediately add butter and whisk until butter has melted then immediately remove from heat. Wait 3 seconds then carefully pour in cream and immediately whisk to combine (it will bubble vigorously). Whisk until mixture is smooth. Allow caramel to cool several minutes then pour into a glass jar to cool completely.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

So maybe I'm a pumpkin addict. What a strange thing to be addicted to =). I love it! Hate it plain but love it in baked goods. Is there anyone out there that eats it plain by the spoonful? Ugh. Horrifying. That would be like eating canned beets! No no, not that bad. There's nothing worse than canned beets. I tasted a bit of plain pumpkin puree when I was making these and it tasted like a spoonful of mushy, far too healthy to be good for you, baby food. Maybe if you were to jazz it up with some sort of spices and lots of butter than maybe, just maybe. Add a little sugar in there and I'll eat it for sure. Not sure why I'm talking about that... so, onto the cookies! I love love LOVE Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. I don't know how you could not love the sweet, delicious little pillows of baked pumpkin-y goodness. 
I found this recipe over at allrecipes.com. I created my own adaptation, because really how do I stick to a recipe? I love to put my own spin on things. I used less cinnamon, added nutmeg and ginger. Reduced the vanilla because isn't the highlight the pumpkin flavor? I added molasses because it's the perfect compliment to pumpkin (brown sugar may give the same effect but it just seems heavy to me and I wanted a fluffy cookie, so I went with the combo of all granulated sugar plus molasses). I added a little red food coloring so they wouldn't look so  dull and drab (but of course you can leave it out if you'd like). I omitted the milk because I don't think it's necessary, I could be totally wrong though. Then lastly I used less chocolate chips, again so they wouldn't overpower the pumpkin flavor. I also used a combination of half milk chocolate and half semi sweet. I guess you could say I almost changed the entire recipe =), I kept the base ingredients the same though. I'm sure it's a great recipe as it's originally listed but like I said I just like to make a few changes. Enjoy these cake-y soft, sweetly spiced, perfectly moist Fall inspired cookies!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 tsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 drops red food coloring (optional)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, egg, molasses, vanilla and optional food coloring. Blend mixture until combine. With mixer on low speed, slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips. Drop dough 2 Tbsp at a time (try to pile them high for less spreading - therefor a thicker cookie) onto Silpat lined or greased baking sheets and baking in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes until cookies are golden brown and nearly set. Allow to cool several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a single layer in an airtight container (some people prefer them cold so you can also store them in the refrigerator if you'd like).

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Pie Dip (A 5 Minute Recipe)

Some of you may be thinking, what is with this girl? Does she only eat pumpkin? I know I've posted a lot of pumpkin recipes lately, but it's just that time of year =). Also the other reason, I always buy the huge can of pumpkin puree because I can get it for the price of what the small can costs. So why would I buy the small can? It just wouldn't make sense. I hate wasting though, so I buy the large can and then I can get two, sometimes even three different pumpkin recipes out of it (unless of course I'm making pumpkin pie). 

I saw this Pumpkin Pie Dip floating around Pinterest so I thought, ooh yes I must try that! I liked that this recipe didn't use cool whip as some of the pumpkin pie dips do. I changed a few things from the original recipe. I thought it needed a little more pumpkin flavor so I added an additional 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (to the 1 cup listed).  I omitted the pumpkin pie spice and rather just increased the cinnamon, added nutmeg and cloves then left the ginger as listed, then I added a little caramel sauce of course. I love pumpkin and caramel. I love anything with caramel. 

This simple 5 minute dip is has just the right amount of sweet and spice, it's fluffy, creamy and yes even dreamy. Basically it's pure goodness. It tastes so much like pumpkin pie (different texture obviously, but same amazing flavor). So when you want a quick dessert with all the flavors of pumpkin pie that everyone will love, then this is definitely what you'll want to make. You'll quickly lose track of just how much you've actually eaten. Enjoy and Happy Fall!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Yields about 4 cups

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves (optional)

1/4 - 1/2 cup caramel sauce, store bought or homemade (optional, but highly recommended)

graham crackers, chocolate crackers or gingersnap cookies for servings

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer on low speed, blend together cream cheese and powdered sugar until combine, then increase mixer to medium and beat for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy. Add in pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and mix until well blended and fluffy, about 1 - 2 minutes. Drizzle with optional caramel sauce (and marble if desired), serve with crackers. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Tip: for cleaner edges on your graham crackers, simply cut them along indentations with a sharp knife rather than breaking them into individual pieces.

Recipe Source: adapted from Taste of Home

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Wahoo! Time for the holidays... er... I mean next month, time for the holidays! My favorite time of year is the holidays. Why? All the food of course =)! That's why I'm getting way ahead of myself. I can't help it though, I saw these little candy pumpkins at the store the other day and thought, Oh I've just got to bake something with these. I bought a big bag then hid some up in the cupboard but somehow my family managed to sniff them out. I guess the baking cupboard is a given, everyone knows I've got a huge stash of goodies up there =). Luckily there were just enough left to make the perfect cupcake toppers for these delicious, bite size, Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes. 

For this recipe, I basically combined my Pumpkin Bars recipe with the cupcake portion of my Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting (one of my favorite cupcakes). These cute mini cupcakes pack a lot of sweetness, moisture, flavor and pumpkin-y goodness into one little bite. They would be perfect for a Halloween party or for Thanksgiving of course. You can't have Thanksgiving without some kind of pumpkin dessert, right? Or you can make them and eat them for breakfast like my kids did, when they aren't frosted they are basically a fluffy pumpkin muffin so I figured why not =). 

Enjoy and share, because these are the perfect sharing size!

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Yields about 3 1/2 dozen (I got 43) - recipe can easily be doubled

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted and whisked to cool slightly
1/3 cup applesauce, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree
2 1/2 Tbsp buttermilk
1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
44 pumpkin candies, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer on low speed, blend together light-brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and applesauce until well combine and smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Add pumpkin puree and buttermilk and mix until well blended. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Fill paper lined mini muffin cups 2/3 full (about 1 slightly heaping Tbsp in each) and bake in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center of cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting and optionally top each cupcake with a pumpkin candy. Store in an airtight container.

Note: I would recommend serving these within an hour or two of topping them if you are adding the pumpkin candy because after that the frosting will begin to break the candy down. I would also recommend storing them in the refrigerator (if not enjoying within a few hours) in an airtight container and then let them rest at room temperature before serving.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese, softenend
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, blend together until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and blend on low speed until combine, then increase to medium and whip until smooth and fluffy.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy 

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Caramel Sauce

What do you get when you combine oats, pumpkin, caramel, and walnuts along with some sweet spices? You get a nutritious and incredible breakfast with three, yes three Superfoods (some may say four if you count the cinnamon)! And the best part, it tastes like pie. I will admit there is quite a bit of sugar in this recipe but if it didn't have it just wouldn't be near as good. At least it has a lot less than the real thing =). 
Many of us are always labeling recipes with "Christmas morning breakfast," well what about Thanksgiving or even Halloween breakfast? The other holidays should have their own fancy breakfasts too, and I think this would make the perfect fit. 
Indulge a little and be sure to get a drizzling of the caramel sauce with every bite. In my opinion a pumpkin pie shouldn't be left without some kind of caramel sauce or dulce de leche, to me they are just meant to go together. That's why I would say don't omit the caramel sauce, it's a must. It's the highlight of this recipe. Enjoy and indulge in the flavors of fall!

 ...like I said, every bite needs a little bit of caramel sauce

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Caramel Sauce
Yields 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp light-brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon 
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 dash salt
1 - 2 Tbsp caramel sauce or caramel ice cream topping
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Directions:
In a large microwave safe bowl, whisk together oats, milk, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, light-brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Microwave mixture on HIGH power for 3 1/2 minutes, then allow oatmeal to rest a few minutes (for a thinner consistency, if desired, pour in additional milk or you could use half and half). Drizzle oatmeal with caramel sauce and sprinkle with optional chopped nuts. Serve warm.

*or an additional 1/4 cup milk plus 3/4 tsp lemon juice

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Pumpkin Bars with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

I just couldn't wait any longer. I say it's officially time for a Fall inspired post. I love all the flavors of Fall. The aromatic spices, the caramel apples, the pumpkin pie and the fresh off the cob corn. One of my favorite Fall flavors is pumpkin. It's natural sweetness and moisture along with it's power packed nutrition makes it a perfect choice for countless dishes and desserts. 

I created this recipe to be a thicker bar than my banana bars because I received several comments of people saying they'd like a thicker bar. These are basically the same thickness of cake, so you can call it pumpkin cake if you'd like. I chose to make this a bit lower fat than your average pumpkin bar by using half butter and half applesauce (rather than all butter or  oil). You would never know it is halfway healthy =). I love when I can turn a Superfood into a dessert (if you top them with walnuts you can get two Superfoods between the pumpkin and walnuts). Try these bars and they are likely to become one of your new favorite fall desserts!

Pumpkin Bars
Yields about 20 bars

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and whisked to cool slightly
1/2 cup applesauce
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
Cinnamon and whole or chopped pecans, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, blend together light-brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter and applesauce until well combine. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well blended, then add pumpkin and mix until well blended. Add dry mixture and mix just until combine. Pour and spread mixture evenly into a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish and bake in preheated oven about 35 - 38 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow bars to cool completely (I covered the baking dish after 15 minutes of cooling to seal in moisture) then cut into bars and frost with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting (alternately you can frost bars first then cut into squares) and dust lightly with optional cinnamon and garnish with optional pecans.

Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer, whip together butter and cream cheese on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 3 -4 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and mix until well blended and smooth.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy