Pumpkin Spice Pie & The Jif Giveaway Winner

 

I make pumpkin pie every year but I've never blogged about it. Maybe I feel it's so common it's not worth a post of it's own? Or perhaps I think everyone has their own recipe for it already? Or maybe I just never got a good picture of the pie? I don't really know the answer, but today I'm sharing my version of this pie. 

There's a BBQ joint here in town that sells pumpkin pies around the holidays. No one in my family thinks they're that great except for my brother. He buys them in multiples and eats 2-3 whole pies just by himself. A couple years ago I set out to make him the best pumpkin pie I possibly could. I researched several recipe and combined bits of each to create this one. You can make your own pie crust recipe or use a frozen or refrigerated crust. It's up to you and no one will judge you for choosing one over the other. Today we are simply talking about pumpkin pie filling. 

This pie uses brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper. That's the little surprise ingredient that makes this pie special. It adds an extra bit of spiciness, that you can't quite pinpoint but you know there's something a little different about it. I also like to refrigerate the pumpkin pie filling overnight before baking it. Some chocolate chips cookie recipes call for the same step- it allows all the ingredients to meld together and makes it that much better. If you're short on time you can skip the refrigeration step but if you have the time, try it! This pie is silky and creamy and while it's got some quirky aspects to it, it's very traditional. My brother still likes his store bought pies but I found out he likes them dry and firm and I'm not willing to make dry pie. haha! 

Pumpkin Spice Pie from Lick The Bowl Good

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• 1- 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1  1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar and spices. Whisk the ingredients together together then add the eggs one at a time until just combined. Gradually add the evaporated milk to the pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine.  

Optional Step: Refrigerate the pumpkin pie mixture overnight to intensify the flavors. Otherwise, continue on with the next step. 

Pour the pumpkin pie mixture into a deep dish unbaked pie shell. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. The pie might be a little jiggly in the center but it will firm up as it cools. 

Place pie on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

The winner of the Jif giveaway is commenter #99 Elle who said: 

"I am incredibly thankful for my family, specifically my Mother who has always supported me and loved me through everything and who has always been my personal cheerleader in life."

Congratulations Elle! Please email me with your address. Thank you all for entering the giveaway.

~Monica 

Lick The Bowl Good Cookbook- Celebrating The First Year

It's been one year since I released my cookbook Lick The Bowl Good so I thought I'd celebrate by sharing one of my favorite recipes from the book- Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze. 

This is an adaptation of the Cinderella Cake that I have been baking for years. I swapped out the cream cheese icing for a deliciously nutty brown butter icing. I have been craving this cake for weeks and now that it's Fall and cooler, today was the perfect day to whip this up. As this cake sits cooling on the counter and the aromas of pumpkin and spice are floating in the air, I'm wishing I could share a slice with you all. 

Thank you all for your continued support of this blog and my cookbook. I hope you enjoy this cake!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

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Pumpkin Cake: 

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1- 15 ounce can pure pumpkin 

Brown Butter Glaze: 

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For The Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 9-inch Bundt pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs until well blended and light in color. Add oil and vanilla and continue to beat.

Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to the egg mixture and stir to combine.Add pumpkin puree and mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let stand in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto baking rack to cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, place it on a serving platter and make the glaze.

For The Glaze: In a medium bowl add the powdered sugar and set aside while you make the brown butter.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pot occasionally until the butter boils and becomes foamy. It will turn golden brown and start to smell nutty. Once the butter stops sizzling and the foam subsides, it is ready. Keep an eye on it because you don't want it to burn. This could take 5 to 8 minutes.

Once the butter has browned, remove from the heat and pour the butter and the browned bits over the sugar. Add the vanilla to the butter and sugar and whisk until smooth.

Spoon the warm glaze over the cooled cake and allow the glaze to set before serving.

Store at room temperature.

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

Here's a simple yet delicious and equally impressive pie I made a couple weeks ago. I found the recipe from Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything. I read the reviews on Allrecipes and made some tweaks. I also made my own graham cracker crust. A graham cracker crust consists of graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter- three very simple ingredients yet it tastes so much better than the premade store bought crusts. I also added more spice, pumpkin and a little sour cream to the cheesecake part of the pie. This pie was excellent. So good it was gone after one evening and everyone that had some, wanted a second slice. 

This pie does need a little refrigeration time, so make it the night before, or early on the day you want to serve it so it has time to properly chill and firm up. Oh and serve with plenty of sweetened whipped cream! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Have a great weekend, and while you're shopping might I remind you that my cookbook, Lick The Bowl Good makes a great gift :-). Look for it in Barnes & Noble book stores and online. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie 

adapted from Allrecipes via The Girl Who Ate Everything

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Graham Crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling: 

• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

For The Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in the melted butter until thoroughly blended.

Press mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, bringing crumbs evenly up the sides up to the rim.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. While crust is cooling, prepare the filling. 

For The Filling: Reduce the oven to 300 degrees F. 

Beat the cream cheese til creamy and there are no lumps. Then add the sugar and vanilla. Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. 

Divide the batter evenly into two bowls. Add sour cream to one half and mix until well combined. 

Pour the sour cream/ cream cheese mixture into the bottom of the prepared, cooled crust. Spread it into an even layer. 

Add the pumpkin puree and the pumpkin pie spice to the remaining cream cheese mixture. Blend well and gently pour the pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese layer. 

Bake in a 300 degree oven for 50-55 minutes. The center of the pie may jiggle slightly. Turn the oven off, crack the door open and let cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Refrigerate pie until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Coffee, Donuts and an Awesome Pillsbury Giveaway! (CLOSED)

So...I made donuts! For the first time ever. I made these just the other day, and I still haven't gotten over how good they were. Just ask my mom and sister and Hayden how good they were. We ate one, then two and found ourselves reaching for a third, but stopped ourselves. Will power be darned. I've always wanted to make donuts but I'm not a fan of deep frying. Baked donuts are the perfect option and they're somewhat healthier, but I didn't have a donut pan. That's when my mom stepped in and saved the day. She surprised me with an electric Sunbeam donut maker on clearance from Target for $15. Yay! Thanks Momma!

Holy drippy glaze.....drool!

In my last post about Caramel Apple Fritter Cake, I mentioned that Pillsbury® sent me a few of their new Fall cake and cookie mixes. I couldn't wait to use the pumpkin mix but wasn't sure what to make, then it hit me- Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Spice Glaze. I absolutely adore that combination of flavors, so much so that I shared a recipe for Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze in my cookbook. Have you ordered your copy of Lick The Bowl Good yet? If you've never tried it before, make this glaze and pour it on something...anything, it is that good! Brown butter makes the world go round. mmm!

Stinky boy couldn't keep his fingers out of that glaze!

My sister is learning to bake and cook so she helped me whip these up. They were so simple and she did a great job. She also served as my hand model and helped me dip some of these bad boys in glaze. Thanks Sammy :-) As a thank you, I sent her and my mom home with some donuts and a few of the cake and cookie mixes that Pillsbury® sent me. My hope is that my sister will create something equally fantastic all on her own. How would you like to win all of these new Pillsbury® mixes for yourself? Scroll down to see how. 

Perfectly Pumpkin Donuts from Lick The Bowl Good

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Pumpkin Donuts: 

• 1- 15.25 oz. box Pillsbury Perfectly Pumpkin cake mix
• 1- 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Brown Butter Glaze: 

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

NOTE: I used an electric donut maker to make these. If you have one, preheat iron til hot. If baking them in an oven, follow the manufacturers instructions for baking. 

In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until fully incorporated. Spray your donut pan with non-stick spray. Spoon batter into mold or transfer the batter into a pastry bag and pipe the batter into the mold, being careful not to let the plastic piping bag touch the hot iron. Bake until cooked throughout. 

Allow donuts to cool on a wire rack. Once all the donuts are baked and cooled, make the glaze. 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan until the butter becomes golden and fragrant. The butter solids will get dark, continue swirling being careful not to let it burn, about 5 minutes. 

Immediately pour the brown butter and all the brown bits into a small bowl. Add the cinnamon, and powdered sugar and whisk until it's smooth and lump free. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well incorporated.

Work quickly because this glaze sets up fast. Dip one half of the donut into the glaze, place on a rack and allow to set. 

Makes 24 donuts. 

Visit Pillsbury on Facebook, PillsburyBaking.com and Pillsbury on Pinterest to learn more ideas about how you can "Celebrate More" with Pillsbury and their new Fall line. 

• Caramel Apple Premium Cake Mix
• Caramel Apple Premium Cookie Mix
• Creamy Supreme Caramel Apple Frosting
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cake Mix
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cookie Mix
• Pumpkin Creme Cake Mix with Vanilla Filling

To win this "Celebrate More" Fall Celebration Starter Kit (a.k.a. All of these fabulous mixes!) and a $100 Visa or American Express gift card courtesy of Pillsbury®, simply leave me a comment on this post telling me what you love most about Fall. 

One entry per person. Open to U.S. residents only. 

*I was provided with product samples and compensation by Pillsbury®, though the opinions I express here are my own. ©/® The J.M. Smucker Company. Pillsbury is a trademark of The Pillsbury Company, LLC, used under license. 

Playing Catch Up With Lots of Random Photos

I was going to share with you my top recipes of 2012 but I haven't gotten my act together and compiled that list yet. Instead I thought I'd share some pictures that I've taken over the last couple months of recipes that I've made, sunsets from my backyard and a few pics of Hayden thrown in for good measure. And a caterpillar- can't forget him! Sound good? Here we go!

I photographed this breakfast casserole for a holiday magazine. This time I made it with ham and cheddar. Looks good enough to eat! One of my favorite casseroles to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

This boy loves marshmallows and steals them out of the pantry every chance he gets. This particular time, it was for breakfast. Busted!

I made this pecan cheesecake pie for Thanksgiving but never got around to taking any more photos of the completed pie, then it all got eaten and there was nothing to take pictures of. It's a pecan pie with a layer of cheesecake filling in it. It was yummy served cold!

My little man stirring up something delicious. 

 

I searched high and low for the perfect pumpkin pie recipe. My brother absolutely loves it and every year he buys several pies from a BBQ restaurant here in town. To be honest they're really not that good. They're kind of dry and bland so I made sure to make an extra special pie for him. And you know what? It was delicious and spicy and creamy and tender. One of the best pumpkin pies I've ever eaten, actually. My brother said it was good but immediately followed it up with a criticism. That's pretty typical. Come to find out, he likes cheesecake and pumpkin pie to be hard and dry in texture. That's his personal preference, but if you like smooth and creamy and spicy pumpkin pie with a special ingredient, this pie is for you!

Fuzzy little guy!

I made these for Christmas as plate decorations for the neighbors to go along with their Christmas cupcakes. I also had a few with cocoa. :-) These are so easy to make. Just like your pan with wax, parchment or a Silpat. Put your mini candy canes together to form hearts, fill with melted chocolate and sprinkle with non-pareils. Allow to set up at room temperature and you're done. 

 

Didn't have time to get family photos done this year, so I took some of Hayden by himself in from of the tree to use on our Christmas card. He's a pretty handsome guy, if I say so myself!

Here we are Christmas morning, before opening gifts. I set the time on the DSLR and kept running back and forth to make sure the lighting and composition were set up correctly. About 50 pictures and a not-so-amused-husband later, I realized I didn't even bother to brush my hair. Oh well. Merry Christmas!

And lastly, my Aunt Mary's Sugar Cookies. Made with powdered sugar instead of granulated so they're extra tender. These really aren't the kind you top with icing, but they're still fun to decorate with colored sugar and sprinkles. I make these every year with different cookie cutters. 

Hope you enjoyed my catch up post. Have a great rest of the week!

~Monica

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a couple days away. What are you making?! My aunt graciously opened up her house to us this year, so the family will be heading to her house for some good eats. We usually do things potluck style so that everyone can bring their favorites and so that not one person is doing all the work. I am making a couple casseroles and a dessert of some sort. I haven't figured that one out yet, though I'm sure it will be pie- I'm thinking pecan. Thanksgiving isn't complete without pie!

I was craving something pumpkin-y the other day to go along with my pumpkin spice latte so I whipped up a batch of these pumpkin white chocolate chip squares. The recipe called for semi-sweet chips, but my mom was making faces at that addition so I used white chocolate instead- She's very opinionated, that lady. The buttery, creamy white morsels were really good in these bars and with each bite you got a little pocket of sweetness against the dense, spicy cake. If you need a quick no fuss dessert for Thursday, this might be the one for you. The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9x13-inch pan to feed a crowd, if necessary. 

Pumpkin Chip Squares adapted from Martha Stewart 

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• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips (dark, milk or cinnamon chips may be substituted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Generously spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin-pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add pumpkin puree, then mix until incorporated, (mixture may appear curdled and that's okay). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. 

Using a spatula, fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips by hand, reserving the other 1/4 cup for the top of the bars. 

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. 

Bake  for 30-35 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Immediately after removing the pan from the oven, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips over the top of the pumpkin bars, gently pressing them into the top, being careful not to burn yourself. 

Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting into squares and serving. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes and A Winner!

Just a quicky post today. This is a recipe I've shared before but I've tweaked it a bit so that it serves two, rather than one. Because a pumpkin spice latte needs to be shared. My version of this ever popular drink contains real pumpkin and spices, not flavored syrup. It's just as easy to make as it is to drive to Starbucks, but it's much less expensive and better for you! Thanks Maranda for making and reminding me of this delicious beverage. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte from Monica H

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• 2 cups strong brewed coffee
• 3/4 cup half-n-half
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 Tablespoons sugar in the raw
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• whipped cream and cinnamon for garnish

Combine coffee, half-n-half, pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan. Bring to a high simmer (just before boiling), whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour into two mugs and top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon, if desired.

Makes two large servings.

And the winner of the Chinet Bakeware is commenter #40 Melody J. Congratulations! Thank you to all that entered the giveaway. And thank you Chinet for being so generous!

Why I Love Fall

I used to think that Summer was my favorite season. And maybe for a while, it was. After all, my birthday is in the Summer, and there was no school, and then there were trips to the beach! Yes, Summer is pretty great. But as I got older, I began to appreciate the beauty that is Autumn. The cooler nights, the changing of the leaves, warm colors and cozy sweaters, and of course the pumpkins! Pumpkins, in all their orange glory, make me smile. They make the season for me. And baking with it marks the start of the holidays. 

Let's be real, I live in Central Texas and I have yet to break out any kind of sweater, but it's my fantasy and I can dream, right? It's still in the 80's here and while I may still be wearing t-shirts and flip flops, I am drinking pumpkin spice lattes, wishing for the crunch of brittle leaves underfoot, and visiting the pumpkin patch. We took Hayden to the pumpkin patch last year, when he was just weeks old and he wasn't too thrilled, but this year he had a great time touching and patting all the gourds around him. We made it home with three mini pumpkins, one for each of my boys, and took a few family photos while we were there. Can you tell I was excited to be there?! 

Hayden likes to roll his pumpkin around the house and every now and again I'll catch him putting it in the back of his dump truck and pushing it through the kitchen. So cute, that boy! He loved these cookies too. I gave him a few without the icing and he just devoured them. In fact, while I was taking pictures of them, he kept grabbing them. Those hands get him in trouble sometimes! On their own, they are very much like pumpkin muffins, but with the brown butter icing, they are something special. They're spicy and sweet and have a nuttiness to them thanks to the browned butter. They're also soft and cake-like, unlike most cookies which makes them the perfect accompaniment to tea or coffee. I almost placed some of the icing in between two cookies and sandwiched them together like a whoopie pie. Oh that would have been a treat!

I received a package of butter in the mail a couple weeks ago. I love when that happens! The folks from Twisted Butter sent me an array of their new jazzed up butters. The blends include premium grade AA salted butter, canola oil, honey, fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and bacon. Yes, bacon! The Bacon, Dijon Mustard & Chive butter was one of my favorites while my mom couldn't get enough of the Blueberry, Honey & Lemon Zest. I decided to use the Cinnamon, Honey & Brown Sugar butter in these cookies to make them extra special and it was a success. Visit the Twisted Butter website for more "infused" flavors and to print a coupon to use on your next purchase. Thank you Twisted Butter for allowing me to sample your product!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

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For the Cookies: 

• 6 Tablespoons Twisted Butter Cinnamon, Honey & Brown Sugar, at room temperature (unsalted butter may be used in place of the Twisted Butter)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup (7 oz) canned pumpkin puree
• 6 Tablespoons evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the Icing: 

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 Tablespoons evaporated milk, plus more if needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the cookies:  In a large bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the egg, then reduce the speed to low and add the pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. 

Slowly add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix until combined. 

Transfer half the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart. (A small ice cream scoop may be used if you don't have a pastry bag). 

Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking process. 

Cool the cookies on the sheets on the parchment for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks. Allow them to cool completely for icing them. 

For the icing: Put the sifted powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, cooking and swirling the pot occasionally until the butter turns a golden brown, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to let the butter burn. 

Immediately, add the butter to the sugar, scraping any brown bits from the sides and bottom of the pot. Add the milk and vanilla and stir until smooth. Add a teaspoon more of the evaporated milk at a time, as needed if the icing gets too stiff to spread.

Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing onto the tops of each cookie using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Allow icing to set before serving. 

Store cookies in single layers, in an airtight container. 

Makes about 3 dozen

NOTE: I was not compensated by Twisted Butter in any way. The opinion I express here, is mine alone. I was simply sent a sampling of product and I chose to blog about it.