Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Now that November is here, I am feeling the need to bake again - and try new recipes. My excitement is fueled even further by a recent meet-and-greet with a cook I admire very much, Ree Drummond (better known as The Pioneer Woman). She has a new cookbook out and I will try some of the recipes and share experiences later.

I have had a real hankering for pumpkin chocolate chip sweets. Last week I made a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread and it went over very well at the office. Today I made these cookies, courtesy of the Food Network, to share with a few of my patients tomorrow. A nice cup of fresh brewed coffee goes well with these.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*

2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet*

Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Heat the oven to 350F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper. Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

In place of the four spices listed, I used 2 teaspoons Penzey's Spices Cake Spice. Also, I dislike milk chocolate chips because they are too sweet, but semisweet IS too intense for such a spicy cookie. Therefore, I used 1 cup of semisweet miniature chocolate chips and I added 1/2 cup of finely chopped toasted walnuts.

Bundt Pan Corn Bread

I've been making this recipe for a decade now - never found one better. Unlike so many cornbread recipes that are heavy on the flour, light on the corn, this one is very definitely CORNbread.

Bundt Pan Cornbread

3 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup melted butter

3 cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and butter. Stir well or beat low speed 2 minutes. Pour in greased 10" bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden. Great served with chili. For a nice variation, try adding a can of chopped green chiles and some cayenne pepper to the mix.

I love a good cookie...How 'bout you?

Just tried a new recipe; its marriage of dark chocolate and orange was something I could not resist. The flavors meld together so perfectly it makes your tastebuds giddy. I could not help but think of that great song, "I Love A Gershwin Tune". I do - and these cookies as well.

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 t. vanilla

1 t. orange extract

3 T. grated orange zest

1 3/4 cup flour

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. In bowl of mixer, cream butter and sugar at high speed for about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in extract and orange zest. In small bowl, sift together flour, salt and soda. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture, blending well. Mix in chocolate chips and optional walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto lightly greased or parchment covered cookie sheets. Bake til lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Makes 40 cookies.

I did not like the idea of semi sweet chocolate; I find dark chocolate a better match so I used dark chocolate chunks. You'll want to use a cacao ratio of 60% or higher. Semi sweet is usually around 50-52%. Also, I recommend using parchment paper on your baking sheets. Bake the cookies ONLY for 12 minutes and then let them cool, on the sheets, for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

Dutch Apple Pie

I've made this recipe several times in the past few months; it appears to be everyone's favorite now. One thing that is extremely important when making this is to mix the varieties of apples used - I always use six apples, usually two Golden Delicious, two Granny Smith and two Pink Lady.

Dutch Apple Pie

Crust:

1 refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crust (from a 15-oz box)

Crumb Topping:

½ c. plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

½ c. packed light-brown sugar

⅓ c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 stick cold butter

Filling:

6 medium to large tart apples (about 3 1/4 lb)

1 tbsp. lemon juice

½ c. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

.13 tsp. ground nutmeg

Have ready a 9-in. pie plate and a baking sheet. Place oven rack in lowest position in oven. Heat oven to 450°F. Line pie plate with pie crust as package directs. Flute or crimp edge. For crumb topping, mix flour, sugars and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or rub in with fingertips) until mixture forms moist, coarse crumbs that clump together easily. Peel, quarter and core apples. Cut in 1⁄8-in.-thick slices by hand (or with slicing disk of a food processor). Put into a large bowl. Toss with lemon juice to coat. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over apple slices; toss to coat. Layer apple slices in pie shell, mounding them higher in center. Pat topping evenly over apples to form a top crust. Place pie on the baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake 45 minutes longer or until a skewer meets some resistance when center of pie is pierced (apples will continue to cook after pie is removed from oven) and topping is golden brown. If topping is browning too quickly, drape a piece of foil over pie. Cool pie completely on a wire rack before serving.

In place of cinnamon in the topping and cinnamon and nutmeg in the filling, I use Penzey's Apple Pie Spice. It simply cannot be beat.

French Silk Pie

I have never been a sweet tooth, though I enjoy baking sweets for others. I would sooner eat a whole baguette (with plenty of butter, of course) than down a pan of brownies.

Certain sweets, however, are beginning to become regular treats for me. This recipe is one I've made often; my family loves it:

French Silk Pie

CRUST

pastry for one pie crust or one refrigerated pie crust

FILLING

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces

1 cup butter, softened (do not use margarine)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 pasteurized eggs or 1 cup refrigerated or frozen fat-free egg product, thawed

TOPPING

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped, sweetened

Chocolate curls, if desired

Heat oven to 450F. Prepare pie crust as directed on package for one-crust baked shell using 9" pie pan. Bake at 450F. for 9-11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.

Melt chocolate in small saucepan over low heat; cool. In small bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla; blend well.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating at high speed for 2 minutes after each addition. Beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.

I have added an extra square of unsweetened chocolate; it really intensifies the flavor. I can't stress enough how smooth as silk this will be if you truly follow the directions - be sure to beat for 8-10 minutes when adding the eggs. For a little something special, you could flavor the sweetened whipped cream with a little peppermint.

No Place Like Home for the Holidays

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I have posted here. It surprises me, because I do so love to experiment in the kitchen and share the results - both successful and hilariously bad - with other food lovers.

Since Thanksgiving has just passed, I have many new recipes to share and will begin doing so more frequently. The first one must be - as promised to my family member Andrea - the magnificent pie we all enjoyed at the end of yesterday's meal. And so, without further ado, here is a dessert to tickle your tastebuds and test your will power:

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

1 uncooked 9" pie shell

4 eggs

3 T melted butter

1/3 C sugar

2/3 C brown sugar

1/3 C dark corn syrup

3 T maple syrup

1 oz. bourbon (1/8 C)

1 tsp vanilla

1 C pecan halves

2/3 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400*F. Beat the eggs. Pour in the melted butter and continue to beat until well blended. Add the granulated sugar and incorporate into a smooth mixture. Add the brown sugar and blend until all the lumps disappear. Stir in the corn syrup, maple syrup, bourbon and vanilla.

Set this mixture aside for a moment while you line the uncooked pie shell with the chocolate chips. Pour in the filling mixture. Place the pecan halves neatly to cover the top of the mixture.

Place the pie in the oven, close the door, and immediately lower the temperature to 275*F. Cooking time is at least an hour. When the filling has set at the center, the pie is done.

I let the eggs beat for quite a while; I think this added to the smoothness of the filling. Feel free to add more pecans, if you wish; I wanted to fill up all the space on top of the filling. I was also very liberal with the bourbon.

Fresh Lemon Cake

One of the best things about having family in the Southwest is the abundance of fresh citrus fruit in our own backyard - literally. My parents have lemons the size of navel oranges falling off the tree, so I - being altruistic - offered to make a lemon cake for Easter Sunday's dessert. This is a wonderful, light cake. I dusted it with powdered sugar, and served it with fresh raspberries.

Fresh Lemon Cake

3 c cake flour*

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

6 large eggs, room temperature, separated

2 c sugar, divided

1 c butter, softened

1 T finely grated lemon zest (from 2 medium lemons)

3 T fresh lemon juice (from 2 medium lemons)

1 c plain yogurt or sour cream

Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 10" Bundt pan thoroughly with PAM. Sift together flour, soda & salt in a bowl. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 c sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Beat butter, remaining 1 1/2 c sugar, egg yolks, zest & juice in large bowl of electric mixer on medium-high speed until mixture is creamy and pale yellow, 3-5 minutes. Add flour mixture to yolk mixture in two parts, alternating with yogurt, mixing on low speed until combined. Gently fold in egg whites. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Sources say the cake improves in flavor as it ages, so make it a day or so ahead of time. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days, or freeze for up to one month.

*If you don't have cake flour, you may substitute all-purpose flour but be sure to use 2 Tablespoons less per cup