10 Pumpkin Desserts to Try



Yesterday I made a pumpkin roll for some friends of mine to include in their Thanksgiving dinner. 

Last Thanksgiving, I made this pumpkin roll for the first time ever (at the same friend's request) and fell in love with it.  I was intimidated by this at first...I have admired pumpkin/red velvet/chocolate cream-filled rolls for years, but was never brave enough to attempt making one.  Since then I've made the pumpkin and red velvet rolls several times.  The pumpkin roll always yields good results.  The red velvet usually turns out well (it still needs a little tweaking), but my chocolate roll efforts so far have yielded nothing but disaster.

I actually made two, so I could keep one for myself.

The picture of mine (above) is one roll cut in half.  Since I don't employ a food stylist, mine doesn't look nearly as good as the photo from the Libby's website shown below.  I sliced it with a serrated knife, which caused some of the crumbs to drag through the filling, and I didn't wrap it quite tightly enough to keep the round shape.  I had a slice at lunch, though, and I assure you it was wonderful.

Even so, I've never really been a huge pumpkin fan.  When I was much younger, my mom made pumpkin bread in coffee cans (anyone remember those?), and that was always a treat that I looked forward to.  Sadly, none of us remember exactly which recipe she used, although I do have another recipe that I use now (baked in a loaf form) that is quite good.

With pumpkin on my mind, I began browsing for Thanksgiving holiday desserts featuring that ingredient. 

Here is my list of 10 pumpkin dessert recipes that I plan to file in my "future recipe adventures" binder (well, 9, since I've already made one of them).  Most of them do not appear to be too difficult.   If you are in need of a unique dessert idea or want a spin on the traditional pumpkin pie dessert, you may find something on this list to suit you.  These pumpkin dessert ideas can be enjoyed any time, but this time of year it seems they taste just a little bit better. 


Paradise Pumpkin Pie
This twist on pumpkin pie has a layer of cheesecake in it.  I'm thinking this one is a winner.


Photo from www.food.com by coolmonday

Pumpkin Pie Pudding
Made in a crockpot....easy!



Photo from www.food.com by Pam-I-Am

  




 





 

 

 

Pumpkin Pound Cake   

Pound cake.  Enough said.  Oh, wait a minute...one of the reviewers substituted egg nog for the milk.  Even better!

Photo from www.landolakes.com



Pumpkin Roll
This is the recipe I use.  I have never owned a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan, so instead I used an 11x15 sheet cake pan from Wilton.  The recipe contains directions for making the cream cheese filling, but if you are in a hurry, you can use your favorite canned cream cheese frosting instead.  (The canned frosting may be a bit sweeter than if you make your own.)
Yeah, their picture is much prettier.




Photo from www.libby's.com



 

 

Praline Pumpkin Dessert
The word "praline" always catches my attention.
This is similar to those "dump cake" recipes, so you know it's easy, plus it looks pretty good too, don't you think? 


 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie
Swirled with cream cheese....it's got to be good! 

Photo from www.pillsbury.com



 

 

 

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes
Ummm...did someone say donuts?

Photo from www.thecomfortofcooking.com



Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Even though this recipe has that scary word ("yeast") in it, I am tempted to try these anyway.



Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Why not enjoy a little pumpkin for breakfast?




Mini-Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crusts
These are just too cute not to make, right?



Enjoy and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Red Velvet Swirl Pound Cake

Red velvet cake is at the top of my "favorite cakes" list.  

My mother used to make it fairly often when I was much younger and we still use that same recipe today. We've made it in layer cake, sheet cake, Bundt cake and cupcake forms, and more recently I have made red velvet cake balls/truffles, which are divine dipped in either white or semi-sweet chocolate.  I've also made a delicious red velvet cake roll ... you know, the one rolled up in a spiral with cream cheese frosting in the middle, as well as red velvet brownies and cookies, but, unfortunately, the recipes I chose for the last two did not impress.

You can imagine my excitement, then, when I learned that the most recent issue of Southern Living contained a recipe for a red velvet swirl pound cake!  Pound cake is also on the top of the aforementioned cake list.

I hadn't had possession of the magazine for an hour before I eagerly jumped into the baking fray, gathering everything together, getting the mixer ready, assembling my ingredients.  The magazine photo of this cake was beautiful, and it had been such a long time since I'd eaten any pound cake, so I couldn't wait to get started and taste this delightful blend of two of my favorite cakes.

So off I went.

Here is the result:

I know that I did not drizzle enough of the vanilla frosting on the cake.  The frosting is thin and should have been of a much thicker consistency.  I know this, but I did not care.  It's pound cake!  You don't need drizzled icing on a pound cake for it to be good, right?  

Well, let me tell you...for this one....yeah, you do.  This one needed to be completely slathered in cream cheese frosting.  Even with that, I don't think it would have improved it much.

I will be the first one to say that a red velvet cake without the cream cheese frosting and pecans has a ho-hum taste.  You might taste a hint of the chocolate, but the cake alone won't be terribly sweet and it really isn't very good by itself.  (These observations are based on the recipe I have used for years.)

But this is a two-and-a-half-cups-of-sugar pound cake!  In spite of that, this cake had very little taste to it, sweet or otherwise.  The texture,while somewhat light (not like a cream cheese pound cake, for example, which is very dense), was borderline dry.  I baked it for 50 minutes, and added 10 more.  (The recipe called for up to 1 hour and 5 minutes.)  

It looked good.  It released itself perfectly from the pan.  The inside swirled well, although it looks like it had a little bubbling action with the red batter going up through the middle during baking.

I have to give this one, sadly, a thumbs down.  If you would like to try it yourself, here is the link:  Red Velvet Swirl Pound Cake.  If you have better luck with it, please let me know.

I really do enjoy pound cakes, and the swirled ones always interest me.  If you would like to give your family or friends a twist on the traditional pound cake this holiday season, I highly recommend either of these two:

Chocolate-Swirled Pound Cake 

I love love love this one, and so does my 80+ year-old aunt, who will be getting one this Christmas.

Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake  

My sister loves this one, and she will probably be getting one of these, too.

Happy baking, friends!

Squash Dressing

I love cornbread dressing.  It is one of many reasons that I look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday.

My dad makes really good dressing...not too tight, not too loose...and sometimes we freeze it in 8x8 pans so we can enjoy a little taste of the holiday throughout the year.  (Of course, I have to have cranberry sauce alongside it!)  I try not to eat too much of it during the year, though, because it is such a prominent component of the Thanksgiving meal. 

So, in order to satisfy my taste for it during the rest of the year, I like to make squash dressing instead.  It has a lighter texture than the traditional holiday dressing. This is a great way to use up all that extra yellow squash that you may have left over from your summer garden after you've given some of it to everyone you know.

This is a two step process.  Make the cornbread first (you can make it the day before, if you wish) and then proceed with the dressing recipe.

The cornbread recipe I use is from an older Southern Living holiday cookbook.  It is really easy and has a lighter texture than some other cornbread recipes I've tried.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Preheat oven to 450F.  Place a well-greased 9" cast-iron skillet in the oven for 5 minutes or until hot.

Note:  Do not forget how hot the skillet is!  I grabbed the handle twice with no oven mitt on my hand.  I assure you, it was not a pleasant feeling.

Combine 2 cups self-rising cornmeal, 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 large egg (lightly beaten).  Mix well.  You should be able to pour the batter into the pan.

(If you don't have buttermilk on hand, add 1 tablespoon vinegar per 1 cup of milk and let stand 5-10 minutes.)

Pour the batter into the hot skillet.  It will sizzle a bit when it hits the heated pan.

Bake for 23-25 minutes at 450F or until golden brown.

Let cool and crumble.














Squash Dressing



A few pieces of zucchini squash joined the fun.

Dice or thinly slice 4-5 medium yellow squash and chop one small onion.  Cook together in water for 10-15 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  This should yield 2 cups of cooked squash.

Combine the 2 cups of hot squash with 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter in a large mixing bowl, stirring to melt the butter.

The third egg is camera-shy.

Add 3 eggs and mix well.

Mix in 2 cups of the crumbled cornbread and 1 can cream of chicken soup.  It's okay to add a little extra cornbread if you have some remaining.

Place in a 1-1/2 quart baking dish. 

I have never known how to translate that dish size, and I didn't feel like unloading the tower of casserole dishes in my cabinet to find out which one to use, so I used an 8x8 glass Pyrex dish instead.

Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes.  I baked this for 40 minutes, but I am still adjusting to using glass cookware instead of aluminum pans, and I didn't want to burn the bottom.

I have since learned that, when baking in a glass dish, you should reduce the temperature specified in the recipe by 25 degrees.  I should have cooked this at 325F for the full time.

Yum!

It was still quite good.

I love this recipe so much that I made a triple batch so I could freeze some for later.  This yielded (including the one I baked) 4 1/2 quarts.

I used one quart in my 8x8 pan, which is the same amount I used in the casseroles that I sold at the restaurant.






I used microwave- and freezer-safe pint and quart containers for storing in the freezer, but you can use disposable aluminum foil pans just as easily.  Cover pans with aluminum foil, label the casserole with the description and date prepared, and place in a 1-gallon freezer zip-top bag.

Maybe this could become one of your own family favorites!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Last week I made a couple of appetizers for a friend for an open house event to usher in the fall/Thanksgiving season.

One of these was a Pumpkin Cheese Ball.  Based on her idea, I searched for a recipe, although I don't remember now where I found this particular one.

Before anyone turns their nose up at the idea of a pumpkin-filled cheese ball, let me assure you that it contains no pumpkin.  It just looks like one.  The taste of it actually reminds me of a Mexican taco dip.

This is a really nice little appetizer for your fall festivities.  It tastes wonderful and looks really cute surrounded on a pretty plate with assorted crackers, fresh veggies, or maybe those blue taco chips (my favorite!).

While I didn't take step-by-step photos when I made it, I did take one of the finished product prior to delivering it.

Isn't it pretty?

 



Give this one a try.  It's simple, looks unique and tastes great.

 

Here's the recipe:

 

Ingredients

 

2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 8-oz. pkg. extra sharp Cheddar cheese (a little over 2 cups shredded)

3 tbsp. finely chopped onion

1/2 cup chunky salsa

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cups Doritos, crumbled

1 green bell pepper with stem

 

Directions

 

Using a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, onion, salsa and cumin.  Beat well until completely combined and creamy.

 

Scoop the mixture out of the bowl onto plastic wrap.  Shape it into a ball, securing with the plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

 

Just prior to serving, roll the chilled ball in crushed Doritos until completely covered.

 

Remove the stem from the bell pepper and press lightly onto the top of the ball.  Reserve the remainder of the pepper for another use or discard.

 

Notes

 

• Grate your own cheese instead of using pre-shredded.  The ball will hold together better.
• I used one medium Vidalia onion, diced finely in my mini-chopper.  You may opt for an onion with a stronger taste.
• Add finely diced jalapeno (1 teaspoon or to taste) for a little more heat.
• I used mild salsa.  Medium, of course, would add a little more kick.
• I placed the (nacho cheese) Dorito chips on a baking sheet (to contain the crumbs) and crushed them using a rolling pin.  You may have to press some of the crumbs into the bare spots on the cheese ball with your fingers as you work with it.
• Instead of using a bell pepper stem, you can use the stem end of a jalapeno, or even a cut piece of celery with a few of the celery leaves placed around it.

 

The photo above shows the cheese ball on a 6" saucer. 

 

I really hope you guys like this one.  My friend received many compliments on it at her event.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Baking for the Dog

Today my baking took a different direction.

I decided to make some homemade treats for my pampered little pup.

 

I've had a few recipes catalogued in my mind for dog biscuits, cookies, and "pupcakes", but I've never taken the time to make any of them.

This recipe is fairly easy to make and is from one of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks.

Here's how it went today:

Combine 2 cups whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl.

 

  

Finely chop 1/4 cup sunflower kernels.  (I used unsalted.)  I chopped most of these by hand (because I like to chop things...makes me feel like a professional).....

 

 

 ...but I resorted to my mini-chopper to finish the job.

 



Add the sunflower kernels to the flour mixture.

 



Lightly beat 2 eggs.  Add the eggs, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/4 cup milk, and 2 tablespoons oil to the flour mixture.

 





Let your mixer's dough hook do the work for you.  It took 4-5 minutes for the

ingredients to form a thick dough.  I added a little extra milk near the end because the dough began to tighten and the mixing bowl got a little jumpy.

 

Here is how the dough will look....thick, grainy, and a little tacky to the touch. 

 

 



Using a cookie sheet as my floured surface (this corrals the flour and keeps it from getting all over your workspace), I began working with about 1/2 cup of the dough, which is a little elastic, at a time.  Roll out and cut as you would any cookie.  Combine scraps with a new scoop of dough.  Knead 4 or 5 times and roll again.

 

 

The recipe states to roll the dough 1/2" thick.  I had no way to accurately measure this, so my first dozen treats were a little thin.  I used a 3" dog bone cookie cutter to cut them out, which is fun, but you can use any cookie cutter you like.  A heart shape would be cute.

  



The treats don't spread as they bake, so you can put them close together on the pan.  This is a half-sheet pan (12" x 18").











 
Bake at 350F.  As they are baking, your kitchen will begin to smell a little chicken-ish, which is odd because there is no chicken in them.

Per the recipe, bake for 30 minutes.

Now...if you make your treats thin, like I did on the first pan....don't bake them for 30 minutes.  Bake them for 10-15 minutes.  I am embarrassed to say that I overcooked the first pan, so I had to throw them out.

The second pan, which had thicker dough cut-outs, did well baking at 20 minutes.



The finished product.

Cool the treats in the pan on a wire rack.  To make them harder, you can leave them in the oven with the heat turned off for an hour or more.

I'd hoped the excess flour would disappear during baking.  Next time I will brush them off a bit.







Of course, we had to have a taste test when they cooled.  These cookies were a bit large for him, so I cut one into thirds and gave him one piece.

He carried it around like it was a prize for a few minutes, and then settled down to enjoy his cookie.  (And came back looking for more.)   I took a bite of one also.  It's dense and a little chewy with not much flavor, but you do get a hint of the molasses.  I might throw in a bit of pumpkin or sweet potato the next time I bake these.

Now that I've made these, I want to experiment with other recipes for him.  Why not make a batch of these for your furry friend (providing they are not allergic to wheat)?  I am sure they will appreciate it!




Strawberry Balsamic Jam

In the last few days, I've developed an interest in making my own jellies and jams.  I can't think of a food that is much better than a tall hot crusty biscuit, split and slathered with melted butter and a big spoonful of jelly.  I prefer jelly on biscuits and jam or preserves on toast.  Blame it on my perfectionism, but jelly just doesn't spread evenly on toast!

Blackberry and/or grape jelly has always been my first choice on a buttered biscuit.  I also mix it into my buttered and salted grits (resulting in a lovely purple color!) and have done so since I was a child, but that is a subject for another blog. 

I've been busily scouring the internet and my cookbook collection for recipes, educating myself along the way in the techniques of sterilizing jars and processing the filled jars in water baths.  Fun stuff, right?  My parents have made jelly for years, as well as canned pickles and peppers, but I have never tried it myself.  When I told my mother that I wanted to learn how to do it, her disbelief that I was interested in such a thing rivaled her disbelief almost 10 years ago when I told her I wanted to open a cake shop, knowing that I had barely learned to bake beyond a boxed mix.

Because I didn't have the necessary equipment to begin this jelly-making adventure the old-fashioned way, and couldn't get it without ordering it online or driving 100 miles, and my parents were otherwise occupied and could not engage in a training session, I decided to try an easier route...sort of sticking my toe in the water before I jumped in.  So today I made strawberry balsamic freezer jam.  I could have made plain strawberry, but I wanted this to be a mini-adventure in terms of taste as well as procedure.  In this recipe, the tartness of the balsamic vinegar heightens the flavor of the strawberries.

Freezer jam doesn't require all those processing steps.  You mix the ingredients, pour it into freezable containers, and you have homemade jam at your fingertips for up to a year.  It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks and frozen for up to 1 year.  I am using 8-oz. plastic freezer jars by Ball, which is the perfect portion size for our household, and one 16-oz. jar to keep in the refrigerator.

This easy recipe that I found has only a few ingredients, uses honey instead of sugar, and doesn't require a lot of equipment.  It yielded about 4 1/2 cups.

Here's how it went:

Step 1. 

Boil 1 cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until it is reduced to 3/4 cup.  Chill until cool.



Okay, first...open a window or turn your kitchen exhaust fan on.  The smell of the vinegar can be a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

Second...you have to carefully watch how much vinegar is being reduced. Initially, I didn't cook it down enough - I had too much liquid. Then, I cooked it down too much - not enough liquid - so I added a bit more from the bottle after removing it from the heat.  I poured the 3/4 cup hot vinegar back into the measuring cup, covered it loosely (with a folded paper towel) and placed it in the refrigerator to chill completely.

Note:  Chilling the vinegar takes about 40 minutes. 

Step 2.

While the vinegar is boiling, wash and crush the strawberries. 



So pretty.
 

I used 2 packages of strawberries to fill a 4-cup measuring cup.  It actually came to a little less than that, but it didn't make any difference.



Don't you love the brand name?  Shout out to the '70s.
 







Some recipes call for hulling the strawberries; this one did not.  I hulled a few anyway.  Here's a fun way to do that.

Strawed berry.
 

(Yeah, I know I probably need a new cutting board.  But this one works just fine.  It's seasoned.)

Stick the straw in the bottom of the berry and push straight up to the top.  If you aim the straw just right, the whole leafy top will pop off, and you can pull it and the core out of the straw.  My aim was a little off today, so I poked them 2 or 3 times to get all of the leaves, and I had to trim a few around the top.  (This is probably why I didn't get a full 4 cups of crushed berries.)  I had lots of cores inside the length of the straw.  They will come out the opposite end of the straw as you work through the berries. 

I sliced/coarsely chopped the first package of berries and then began to crush them.  I think this was a mistake.   There were too many bits to crush.



They hover when they hear the sound of food being chopped. 
 

I placed the strawberries in a large bowl, and alternated using a pastry cutter and a potato masher to crush the berries.





















I left the second package of berries whole (after removing the tops, of course) and
crushing them was a little easier.  However, next time I think I will pull out the food processor and simply pulse them a few times. 


Step 3.

Mix the strawberries, 1/2 cup honey and the chilled balsamic vinegar in a large mixing bowl.  Let it stand for 10 minutes.

Step 4.

Add 5 tablespoons of Ball RealFruit Instant Pectin to the strawberry mixture.  Stir the mixture constantly for 3 minutes.  I found it easier to set a digital timer than to watch the clock.  I talked to my mother on the phone the entire time, so those 3 minutes elapsed very quickly.

Step 5.

Using a small measuring cup (mine was 1/4 cup) or a ladle, place jam into clean jars to the fill line.  Twist on the lids and let stand until thickened (about 30 minutes).  Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.

My first jam!

Additional recipe notes:

Use plastic containers (most any kind with a snap lid will do).   Fill to 1/2" from the top.  The plastic Ball containers have a fill line indicator on the side.   This will help prevent freezer burn as well as decrease the amount of air in the jar.  Do not overfill or the container may burst.

Thaw frozen jam in the refrigerator or in warm water.  Jam consistency may be softer and more watery after thawing.  Do not refreeze.


Here's the link to the recipe:  Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Serving suggestions:

Serve over toast, an English muffin, pancakes, or a bagel; warm a couple of tablespoons of jam in the microwave and serve over vanilla bean ice cream (oh, you know that's what I'm going to do!); serve over cream cheese or mascarpone cheese as you would a pepper jelly.




I did it...the tartness of the jam paired with the sweetness of the ice cream is just right.

 



Enjoy!

Sherry