Pumpkin, Cranberry, and Pecan Pie

Are you ready?

Are the gifts wrapped, the cookies baked, the halls decked? 

Me?  Nope.  I pretty prepared, I'll admit, thanks to a lot of online shopping (the result of our little ice storm a few weeks back) and a bit of proactive holiday decorating before the season kicked into full swing.  But no sweet treats have been made in my kitchen yet (I'm currently tackling about a thousand plus cookies every morning at the bakery so baking anything at home right now isn't exactly making it to the top of my to-do list), however, I fully intend to bring a few dozen on our upcoming Christmas vacation. 

But today I must share with you this pie.  I made it for Thanksgiving (ok, Nathan made it for Thanksgiving- I fetched ingredients and told him what to do.  I'm good at that.), but it would suit any holiday meal just fine.  It's essentially your classic pumpkin pie doused with a cranberry pecan crumble and it's a nice twist on the traditional version.  And it's easy as...pie, so you can tell someone else to make it. 

Pumpkin, Cranberry, and Pecan Pie

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 slightly beaten eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 single pie crust

For the Cranberry Pecan Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold butter
4 ounces fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup chopped pecans

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, zest, salt, and all of the spices (nutmeg through cardamom). In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, cream, and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and lightly beat by hand until well combined. Pour the pumpkin mixture into a pie shell. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the brown sugar, flour, and salt, and butter to a small food processor and chop until it resembles a coarse mixture. Stir in the chopped cranberries and pecans.

Remove pie from the oven and sprinkle the cranberry mixture on top. Return the tart to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pie is set, topping is golden and bubbly, and the crust is golden. If the crust starts getting too brown, you can add strips of foil around the edges.  Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Adapted from Beantown Baker.

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

It's high time I made you a pie.

But this is not your ordinary pumpkin pie (thank goodness because, if I'm being honest...and I'm going to be...I don't really like pumpkin pie).  I'm in the pecan pie camp.  And after last year, I'm in the apple pie camp as well.  But this pie here might just make me a pumpkin pie convert.

After last years pumpkin kiss cookies (one of my most popular posts, per readers) and the triple chocolate cupcakes with pumpkin pie frosting (one of my most popular posts, per me), I decided to kick pumpkin pie up a notch with the addition of chocolate. 

Melted morsels get mixed into the classic pie filling, which then gets poured into a chocolate oreo crust.  I opted for pre-made because I'm lazy, which isn't news to you considering I wrote one measly blog post during the entire month of September.  I'm ashamed.  I'm sorry.  So I made you a pie.

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 can (15-ounce) solid-pack pumpkin

1 can (12-ounce) evaporated milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 prepared Oreo pie crust (homemade or store bought)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Melt chocolate and butter in large sauce pan over medium-low heat stirring constantly until melted (stir constantly to prevent burning the chocolate!).  Once blended, turn off stove and stir in pumpkin.  Whisk in milk, sugar, and eggs.  Add cornstarch, vanilla, salt, and spices.  Whisk until combined.  Pour mixture into prepared pie crust (I had extra filling).  Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes until center is set but still jiggly.  Let cool before slicing and serving.  Store leftovers in fridge.

Adapted from Closet Cooking.

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting

I'm a genius.

Let's reminisce.  So remember how I mentioned that chocolate and pumpkin are basically a match made in heaven?  And remember how my parents came into town last weekend for a visit?  Well my mom knows me well because she brought me a gift: some cupcake liners (it's the little things).  This prompted a mission: What can I do with these adorable liners before Halloween escapes me and turkeys and Christmas trees are in full swing? 

Hmmmm....

I must preface what I'm about to tell you by saying that I am a FROM SCRATCH baker.  Meaning I don't really do the whole box cake mix thing [which is odd because #1: I currently have 5 (yes FIVE, no lie) boxes of cake mix on my baking shelf in the pantry because for some reason I have this weird obsession with buying anything that I feel will be the base of some new and fabulous creation.  And because I have the Cake Doctor cookbook which has some pretty fabulous ideas.  And because, quite frankly, it's cheap.  And #2: I basically ate my weight in pillsbury confetti cake the summer of my senior year in college.  (what can I say- it made the perfect late night after the bar food- seriously people).  I need to create a from-scratch version of this sprinkle-filled cake.  Consider it added to The List.]

Ok, so in short, yes.  This is a cake using The Box.  Some of you may be happy to hear this, some of you may not.  But let me inform you that this is the recipe of my favorite chocolate cake recipe EVER.  And I'm a white cake person at heart; however, for some crazy reason this cake recipe is SOOO good that I actually ask my sister to make it for me in bundt cake form for my birthday every year (p.s. this is her recipe so give her a big fat thanks).  Not white cake, not confetti cake, not cookie cake- I want chocolate cake.  From a box.  It's that good. 

And chocolate cake topped with pumpkin pie?  Well, does this really sound like a bad idea to you?  I didn't think so.  Like I said...I'm a genius.

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting

For the cake:

Makes 26 cupcakes (or fills one bundt pan)

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 (3.4 ounce) box sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix (regular is fine too)

1 (3.4 ounce) box sugar-free instant white chocolate pudding mix (regular is fine too)

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Blend cake mix and puddings until combined.  Add in eggs, water and applesauce and mix until moistened (at medium speed for 2 minutes).  Fold in chocolate chips.   

Divide batter into 26 prepared cupcake tins.  Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely before topping with Pumpkin Pie Frosting.

**For a bundt pan, bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

For the frosting:

This is basically pumpkin pie without the crust so if you already happen to have a pumpkin pie on hand, you can either scoop the pie filling out of the crust or blend the crust into the frosting.

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat eggs.  Stir in sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Mix in pumpkin.  Stir in evaporated milk. 

Pour into lightly greased 9-inch pie plate (no crust needed).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out dry.  Remove from oven and leave on counter for two hours before use.

**The pie will pipe better if you put it in a large mixing bowl and beat it for about thirty seconds to evenly distribute any moisture before loading it into your pastry bag.  

Cake Adapted from my sister, Melissa.
Frosting Adapted from Cupcake Project.

Pumpkin Cranberry Apple Bread

aka fall wrapped up in a little tiny loaf

We had some company over the weekend.  And I thought I'd make a little somethin' somethin' for breakfast.  That's where this bread came in. 

You see, I contemplated picking up a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread at work for our special guests; however, my parents are...how should I say this...classy.  Meaning they don't do chocolate for breakfast.  Maybe traditional would be a better word...(But don't get me wrong.  They know a good thing when they hear it.  Afterall, it was my mom who ordered us all a warm piece of cinnamon bread pudding with whisky sauce on Friday night.  Comfort food at its finest.) 

Anywho, that classiness/traditionalness (new word?) actually worked in everyone's favor.  As a result, I came up with this bread: a moist pumpkin loaf studded with red cranberries and cinnamon-sugar tossed apples.  Autumn in your mouth, really. 

Pumpkin Cranberry Apple Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1 cup pumpkin puree (about half of a 15-ounce can)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 cup sugar, vegetable oil, water, and pumpkin puree until smooth. Gradually add in dry ingredients, whisking until just combined.

In small bowl combine cinnamon and sugar.  Toss with chopped apples.  Fold apples and cranberries into pumpkin mixture.  Spread evenly into prepared 9x5-inch loaf pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in fridge for 3-4 days.

Adapted from Erin Cooks.

Pumpkin Kiss Cookies

Toldjya it wouldn't be long...

Now I'm definitely a pecan pie over pumpkin pie girl, but when it comes to incorporating pumpkin into other sweet treats I am on board. 

Over the past week or two, I have been making batch after batch of pumpkin chocolate chip bread at work and it got my brain churning...what fun treat can I make involving this same delicious combo?? Then, after a girl I work with mentioned a pumpkin thumbprint cookie she had eaten I knew the answer: I just HAD to create a twist on the tried and true peanut butter kiss cookie (p.s. my brother has one heck of a recipe for the pb version he bakes every Christmas...maybe I can get him to do a little guest post come December.  p.s.s. it only involves four ingredients and they taste pretty much INSANE.  I made him make a double batch last year). 

Anywho, these cookies.  Best described as cake in cookie form. They are seriously the softest cookie I've ever bit into and I make sure to work my way around the center kiss in a perfect circle, sliding a little piece of chocolate off with my teeth with each bite.  Perfection. 

Pumpkin Kiss Cookies

Makes 26 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

26 Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until mixed thoroughly; add pumpkin puree and vanilla then mix again.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ginger together in a bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a silpat mat on a baking sheet. Scoop out dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown*.  Remove from oven and press a Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie.  Let cool before removing to wire rack. 

*The shape of the cookie ball will remain the same during baking.  The Kiss will cause it to flatten out a little making the end result look more like a cookie, don't worry!

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking.