Tag Archives: pumpkin

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Pumpkin Bread with Bourbon Icing

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It’s just a few days before Eat-Fest-USA, aka Thanksgiving, aka only one of the best holidays ever.

It’s just Sean and I this year, as we are staying put, and I’ve had the menu planned for a few weeks now. I’ve ordered our turkey and picked it up, planned the sides, shopped the pantry goods, written my produce list, and picked out the wines. I was going to bake up another batch of this pumpkin bread for Thursday morning, but I’m thinking we’ll go the fruit and cheese route for breakfast and snacking.

Not that this pumpkin bread wouldn’t make a lovely, easy breakfast to share with your fam and friends this thankful holiday. It would be perfect sliced and set-up next to plenty of coffee and/or tea to begin Thanksgiving day and kick-off the feast prep. This bread is super moist–and, I know we don’t all love that word–but it is what it is. And, I channel my inner Jesse Pinkman as I type this…

This bread be moist, yo.

The moisture comes from pumpkin puree, olive oil, and greek yogurt, there’s a bit of whole wheat flour for wholesome goodness, just a little spice, and a buttery layer of bourbon icing just for kicks. I also added some candied ginger to the top, for good measure. Maybe the icing and ginger are a little much but, they fancy-up this super easy quick-bread, making it holiday breakfast AND dessert appropriate.

Pumpkin Bread with Bourbon Icing

Makes 1, 9×5 inch loaf

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Since this is a quick bread, it comes together very quickly with few dishes. The bread also tastes great, maybe even better, the next day. This recipe makes 1 standard loaf of pumpkin bread–however, I baked this batch up in a 6inch round pan and a mini-loaf pan. Either way, this bread is delicious. Feel free to make this bread sans icing for an every-day breakfast bread sitch. I use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour in this recipe, you could us less whole wheat or go with just all-purpose with great results. I would be wary of making the entire recipe out of whole wheat as it may result in a very dense and even gummy bread. 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1/2 cup olive oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

2-4 teaspoons bourbon

milk to thin

Preheat oven to 350*F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, or other baking dish, well. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices.

In another bowl, mix together the pumpkin, olive, oil, beaten eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix well to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold to incorporate until just combined and there are no longer any dry flour streaks. Be careful to fold the batter and not overmix it. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake in the center of the oven for 50-60 minutes (about 45 for the round pan) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

For the icing, whisk together the melted butter, bourbon, and powdered sugar. Add milk to thin to desired consistency. Spread icing over cooled bread. Sprinkle with chopped, candied ginger if desired.

Will keep for 2-3 days wrapped well at room temperature.

 

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Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Buns

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I know that I just lamented about pumpkin, but, truth be told…I’m not even close to being over it yet.

I’ve been eyeing this recipe for Chocolate Swirl Buns since I saw them on Smitten Kitchen over the summer, but I wanted to wait until the air was crisp and the leaves were fallen before I delved into it. There’s just something about baking with yeast when the cooler months start rolling in, that I cannot resist…I can’t resist pumpkin right now either…surprise!

So, given my love of fall-time baking AND pumpkin AND chocolate, these buns were a no-brainer-mega-hit. I had 3, THREE, the day I made them. My husband had a few himself, and the rest got sent to his office and out of the danger zone–aka, my face. The dough is super-soft and tender, lightly flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon, and slightly sweet. The spiced chocolate filling is the best thing when still warm–gooey, melty, and just spiced. The egg wash and sugar crust make for the best crisp-crunch on the tops of the buns. I love the way the buns unravel, allowing you to eat layer-after-layer of perfectly tender, yeasted dough, with bits of crunchy sugar topping, and rich, gooey pockets of chocolate. Though these buns may be nice for an ultra-decadent weekend brunch, they would be perfect along side an afternoon pick-me-up, as well.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Buns

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 12 buns.

This recipe calls for a bit more liquid and flour than the original and yield buns that are a little larger. I also switched the sugar in the dough and filling to brown, but regular granulated sugar would be perfectly fine. The dough is pretty soft, so work gently and flour the counter and rolling pin liberally to keep things from getting too sticky. Though these are best eaten soon after baking, you can pop leftover buns in the microwave for 10-15 seconds–mimicking that ‘just-baked’ warmth. 

Dough:

1/3 cup warm milk

1/3 cup plain pumpkin puree

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Tablespoons unsalted, softened butter

Filling:

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

8 ounces (1 cup) chocolate chips, or chopped bar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Egg Wash:

1 egg

1 Tablespoon cream

sugar for sprinkling

In measuring cup, combine milk with yeast and a pinch of sugar. Allow to proof 5 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and the egg. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attatchement, combine flour, remaining sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the yeast-pumpkin mixture and mix on low to combine. Add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, mixing until the butter is incorporated before adding the rest. Scrape dough from the paddle, add the dough hook attachment  and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky and stringy. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

While the dough rises, make the filling. In the bowl of a food processor, process all ingredients until all of the butter is distributed and you have an uneven, gravely mixture. Set aside.

Liberally butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Set aside.

Once dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and gently deflate. Allow to rest 5 more minutes, before rolling the dough out into a large rectangle, the short end measuring about 12 inches–the long edge can be about 18-22 inches. Sprinkle the chocolate filling evenly over the rectangle, it will be bumpy, and begin rolling from the short end all the way up into a 12-13 inch log and pinch to seal. Gently saw off about 1-inch spirals, placing each into a prepared tin. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350*F.

Whisk together the egg and cream, brush gently over the tops of the proofed buns and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for 15-25 minutes. Mine took closer to 25 minutes to bake. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

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Pumpkin-Beer Waffles

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I believe that Sundays are for easy living. If breakfast happens closer to lunch time, who cares!? Sundays aren’t for scheduling.

This lazy Sunday, in particular, was much needed. Mid-week, last week, our 4-year-old Chihuahua-mix fell ill–which landed us at the emergency vet where our girl, Luxe, had to have a blood transfusion (something I never even realized was something that happens for dogs until it did) and had to spend a few nights at MSU’s small animal clinic. Needless to say, there was a lot of stress, a lot of tears, and a lot of worrying. I hate it when animals get sick or injured because they just can’t tell you! and, the thought of her scared and in an unfamiliar place just broke my heart. She responded super well to her treatments, to the vet and our great relief, and got to come home Saturday evening.

So, when a fresh Sunday rolled in, and the sun seemed to be shining just a little brighter, I woke up earlier than most weekend mornings, took the pups out for a romp in the leaves, then promptly began putting these waffles together. Since I already opened a can of pumpkin for feeding Luxe her meds (I crush up the pills and mix it with a teaspoon or two each of plain yogurt and pumpkin–it’s a treat with a medicinal surprise! yeah, I am THAT dog mom and I learned the trick from this dog mom…), I decided to use the remaining pumpkin in a lightly spiced, crispy edged waffle.

These waffles use beer for lightness and a little extra lift. It’s my favorite way to mimic a yeast-raised waffle batter in a fraction of the time. There’s brown butter because, well if you’re going to melt it anyway, why not brown it? The bit of whole wheat lends a little texture and toastiness without getting dense or heavy. These waffles taste like October and comfort and carefree Sundays…which is sometimes just what you need, with a side of pup cuddles for good measure.

Pumpkin-Beer Waffles

Makes 12-16 individual waffles.

Adapted from this recipe. 

The beer in these waffles isn’t simply a gratuitous addition–it brings a yeasty flavor and makes for a light and airy crumb, akin to yeasted waffles sans the rise time. No dense waffles up in here. I used a Belgian Wheat Beer for these, but I bet a seasonal pumpkin ale would be pretty magical. Waffles freeze like a champ, simply place on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer, freeze for 30 minutes, remove and place frozen waffles in a resealable gallon bag and freeze for up to 1 month–reheat in a toaster. 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup beer

5 Tablespoons browned butter, cooled to room temperature

In a small skillet melt butter over medium until it becomes foamy. Once foamy, continue to heat butter over medium-low until the milk solids begin to brown at the bottom of the pan, you can whisk or stir it if you would like–the butter will become nutty and fragrant–allow it to brown as long as you dare before it burns. You will know by the smell if it is burnt. Pour into a heat-proof bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 275*F and have a sheet pan ready to keep waffles warm. Preheat the waffle iron according to manufacturers instructions. Oil, butter, or spray the iron lightly if needed.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, salt, baking powder and soda, sugar, and spices. Set aside. In another mixing bowl combine the vanilla, milk, pumpkin, and eggs. Whisk well to combine, gently whisk in the beer. Make a well in the dry mixture and add all of the pumpkin/beer mixture, followed by the cooled brown butter, fold until just combined and there are no longer large dry pockets within the batter–some small lumps are okay. Ladle batter into the waffle iron–I used about 3/4 cup per each batch, this may vary depending on your iron–and bake according to manufacturers instruction. Place baked waffles onto the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you continue with the remaining batter. Serve warm with butter and syrup.

Luxe on the mend. What a champ!

 

 

 

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Maple-Pumpkin Granola

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Sometimes, when stressed and trying not to eat a whole pizza worth of feelings, I turn to something crunchy. It’s just so dang satisfying and if I’m going to eat my feelings, my jaw should have to work a little for it.

Enter granola. I tend to make it pretty healthful–reaching for honey or maple in place of plain sugar, and filling it with plenty of seeds and nuts for texture and interest. Granola can be as plain-jane as you want it or as crazy as you’d like–it’s versatile that way. This batch is flavored with lots of maple for sweetness and fragrance, olive oil encourages maximum crunchiness, pumpkin makes a subtle earthy appearance, warm spices and toasty nuts + seeds add depth, thick-rolled oats add great chewy-crunchy texture. This granola makes a great pair sprinkled over yogurt or swimming in a bowl of milk. It’s also great, out of hand, for crunching through some stress.

Maple-Pumpkin Granola

Adapted from this recipe. 

I use Bob’s Red Mill Thick Rolled Oats here, which I find at any supermarket in the natural foods section. I like the more substantial chew of these particular oats, but any brand you like works just as well. The pumpkin isn’t front-and-center in this recipe, it’s mostly a background flavor, as the puree softens the oats and works against that crunchy texture so beloved in granola. Also, I added a variety of seeds and nuts–I usually just add whatever is left over from other recipes–feel free to switch them up or omit as desired. 

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

3 Tablespoons flax seeds

3 Tablespoons sesame seeds

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons plain pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 325*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, coconut, seeds, salt, and spices. In a large measuring cup whisk together maple, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin. Pour the maple-pumpkin mixture over the oats mixture and stir to coat well. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet in an even layer and bake 15 minutes, stir, and continue to bake in 10-15 minutes intervals, stirring well between each, until the granola is uniformly golden and no longer moist. The granola will crisp a bit more as it cools. Store completely cooled granola in airtight containers for  1-2 weeks.

 

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Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

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I do this fun thing when I’m sleeping…and by fun, I mean obnoxious.

Throughout the night I will either kick blankets or hoard them. I may start out the night kicking the blankets right off the bed and onto the floor. Then, I will wake up in the wee hours of the morning, shivering, only to roll myself up into a burrito of warmth. Add my tendency to sleep-talk, and I am a dream (read, nightmare) of a bedmate. I just want to have it all, all at once–blankets, no blankets, conversation, and sleep. I mean, at least I don’t sleep-walk…anymore, right?

These muffins came to be because of my inherent desire to have it all. Yesterday, mid-morning, all I wanted was something warm, pumpkin-y, spiced, streusel AND glaze topped. I wanted the perfect fall muffin–not too sweet so I could glaze it, slightly healthy (pumpkin AND wheat germ, holla!), moist yet sturdy, spiced without getting face-punched, a muffin with a hint of brown butter and a bit of crunch. I made it happen and got my way… as it often goes around here when it comes to muffin baking and blanket-hoarding/shunning.

So, tell me, are you a sleep kicker, blanket stealer, talker or walker? Or, are you the type who, once your head hits the pillow, you’re there to stay?

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins w/ Cream Cheese Glaze

Makes 12-14 muffins (depending on how you fill the cups).

Adapted from Damn Delicious. 

I reduced the flour from the original recipe and added wheat germ for health and science. I also tinkered with the spices and browned up the butter for good measure. These muffins–sans glaze–are not very sweet, which is how I think a muffin should be. While the insides are moist and tender, a pat of butter smeared on a warm muffin would be totally appropriate. I like to place the streusel in the refrigerator while assembling the batter–I find it encourages more pebbly/rocky streusel as opposed to a crumbly/sandy topping.

Spice Mix:

1/2 heaping teaspoon kosher salt

2 hefty teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Streusel Topping:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, browned

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup vanilla sugar (or plain or brown)

3 Tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon spice mixture

Muffin batter:

3 Tablespoons wheat germ

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

remaining spice mixture

1 cup plain pumpkin puree

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, browned

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

2 ounces softened cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-3 Tablespoons milk

Preheat your oven to 350*F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.

Begin by browning your butter, 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons, divided. Jessica from How Sweet It Is recently posted this great step-by-step. Set aside the butter to cool slightly.

Make the streusel: Mix together 2 tablespoons of the browned butter with flour, sugar, spices, and sunflower seeds, until the mixture clumps together when pinched between your fingers. Place the streusel topping in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wheat germ, flour, baking powder, sugar, and remaining spice mix. Set aside and in a seperate bowl whisk together pumpkin, remaining butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry and fold until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full (I did 2/3, making them a litte under filled). Sprinkle with the streusel mixture and bake in the center of the oven for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before glazing. While muffins cool, make the glaze by stirring the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together, adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Best enjoyed warm from the oven. Can be kept in an airtight container for 3 days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Recipe: Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

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Happy Halloween (and, happy Nevada Day, Nevadans)!

I hope everyone had a fun, spooky-scary weekend. Maybe you dressed up and hit the party circuit, maybe you handed out candy or just ate it by the handful, maybe you just lounged around and watched scary movies (guilty!)…whatever you did, I hope it was fun and festive.

I hope there were sweet treats involved and trickery of the good-natured variety.

Until next year ghoulfiends!

(bahaha, I’m totally cracking up about that one!)

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3.4 cup warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temp.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 cupcake wells (2 tins) with paper liners or grease well.

In a medium bowl sift together all of the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt). Set aside.

In a large measuring cup whisk together buttermilk, water, eggs, oil, and vanilla, to combine. Pour wet mixture into dry and fold until just incorporated. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake in the center of the oven for 16-20 minutes (mine were perfect after 17 minutes). Remove from oven and cool on rack completely before frosting.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

This frosting is pretty soft. I chilled it and then stirred vigorously before frosting. 

1, 8ounce bar cream cheese at room temperature

4 tablespoons room temperature, unsalted butter

1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Using a mixer beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add pumpkin, vanilla and bourbon and mix to combine. Beat in spices and then gradually add powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Beat on high until light and fluffy. Refrigerate, covered, if not using immediately.

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Recipe: Pumpkin Semifreddo

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The weather is definitely cooling down around here, but that doesn’t mean I am done with wanting frozen treats. Sometimes cool and creamy is just what you need despite the season.

It’s true life, that’s all.

It’s been sad times since my ice cream maker broke in the great move to the midwest, but for this dessert you don’t even need that old machine. Just some mad whisking skills (use a mixer or hand blender, unless you just have guns of steel), a bit of folding, and some freezer time. This semifreddo is made up of pumpkin, egg yolks, whipped cream, gingersnap crumbs, and salted caramel sauce.

There’s not one thing in it that I don’t love.

It’s a total win.

Pumpkin Semifreddo

adapted from Tartlette

I added molasses and upped/changed the spice a bit in this recipe. I also layered in that caramel sauce and those gingersnap crumbs I mentioned for texture and goodness. 

1 cup  heavy cream

3 tablespoons mild honey

1 tablespoon molasses

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

3 large egg yolks

3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup gingersnap crumbs

1/4 cup salted caramel sauce

Using a whisk and those guns of steel, or an electric mixer, beat cream in a bowl until it holds soft peaks. Refrigerate.

Separate eggs and place yolks in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Save whites for another use.

Stir together pumpkin and spices in a small bowl, set aside.

In a small sauce pan mix together honey, molasses, sugar, and water. Bring syrup to a boil over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 238F.

Whip egg yolks to break up and slowly add hot syrup while mixer is running on medium. Whip fast enough to make sure the eggs do not scramble, but try not to go so fast that the syrup does not incorporate. Once syrup is completely incorporated into yolks, whip on high until yolks are cool and airy.

Add 1/3 of the cold, whipped cream to the egg yolk mixture to lighten. Fold in pumpkin and spices, plus remaining whipped cream. Sprinkle the bottom of a prepared loaf pan with gingersnap crumbs (line with plastic wrap if you want to turn it out, if simply scooping you can skip that step), scrape half of the semifreddo base into the pan, and smooth the top. Sprinkle with more cookie crumbs and drizzle in about 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce, top with remaining semifreddo base and smooth, sprinkle with more crumbs. Cover the top of the semifreddo with plastic and then a layer of foil and place in freezer for at least 3 hours to set. Scoop or turn out and slice. Serve cold.

Gingersnap Cookies

adapted from Procrastobaker  

I kept the gram measurements here and used a scale, since I didn’t want to mess up the recipe. I also used all butter as I did not have lard or shortening, and upped those spices! 

210 grams all purpose flour

140 grams granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

1 tablespoon honey

1 egg

3 ounces of unsalted butter

Melt butter in the microwave and set aside, whisk in honey, and grated ginger, set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and dry spices. Mix melted butter mixture and egg into the dry ingredients until combined well. The dough will be soft and slightly greasy. Chill dough for 30 minutes before rolling.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Scoop dough and roll into about 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet spaced about 1 inch apart (cookies will spread). Make a small indentation in the center of each dough ball and bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 13-15 minutes. Cool cookies slightly on sheets before transferring to cooling racks. Cookies will crisp up as they cool. If they are still too soft in the center, bake for an additional minute or two.

Salted Caramel Sauce

adapted from The Perfect Scoop

 

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt

In a measuring cup measure out cream and add vanilla, set aside.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan heat sugar and water over medium-high until sugar is melted and turns dark golden brown in color (the darkest you can get it before burning is best). Remove from heat and quickly whisk in butter and half of cream until combined and smooth. The mixture will steam and bubble furiously, use a oven mitt or towel to wrap your stirring hand. If there are still lumps, heat gently until smooth. Add remaining cream and salt and stir until smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Recipe: Malted Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

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43

Sean and I have this ongoing thing where he claims to dislike a food and I step up to crush him.

I make him eat his words.

Quite literally.

Then I laugh maniacally and he rolls his eyes.

It’s part of our thing.

See, not only do I feel an overwhelming sense of victory when I prove his begrudging tastebuds wrong…

We end up liking the same foods.

It’s a total win-win kinda deal.

Anyway, for years now Sean has been hating on pumpkin. I mean, I get his dislike of pumpkin pie (gasp! I know…) I don’t love it either. But, to write off all pumpkin goodness because of a dislike of a single dish, not even okay. There’s pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin muffins, and cookies!

Oh, my.

So, to bust his hatin’, I decided to make it a point to help him overcome his discriminatory ways.

I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website and knew that if anything would win him over, this would.

Browned butter…hello!

I added some malt to the mix for good measure.

Never can be too safe with those haters…

…and, it paid off!

He took one bite, and for once, kept his eye rolls to himself.

I’m the winner.

Oh, sweet victory!

Huzzah!

Malted Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

Adapted from Martha Stewart

I halved the recipe, so I used ounce measurements instead of my usual cup measurments.

Makes about 48 cookies.

11 ounces all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons malt powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 ounces softened, unsalted butter

9 ounces brown sugar

2 teaspoons fresh, grated ginger

1 large egg, room temperature

6 ounces pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

3 ounces milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, malt powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, dry ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together butter, sugar, and fresh ginger. Add pumpkin puree and combine. Add egg and mix to combine, scraping the bowl as needed. Add milk and vanilla, mix well. Pour all of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix in short bursts until just combined. If there are some streaks of flour, fold lightly with a rubber spatula.

Prepare a piping bag fitted with a large, round tip and spoon half of the batter into the bag. Pipe rounds of dough onto the prepped sheet pans and repeat. Bake cookies in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops spring back to the touch. Cool for a few minutes on the sheet and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Browned Butter Frosting

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon malt powder

pinch of salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl whisk together sugar, malt powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together milk and vanilla.

In a shallow skillet heat butter over medium low until butter solids become golden brown and smell like toffee. Do not walk away as you do this, the butter can go from perfect to burnt in moments. Once browned add to confectioner’s sugar mixture and whisk well, whisk in milk and vanilla. If the frosting is still stiff add small amounts of milk to achieve desired consistency. Can be used as soon as cookies are cooled.