Christina's Apple Butter Poptarts with Maple Glaze and Pecans

from Morgan Crumm

Apple Butter Poptarts
1 recipe Butter Crust dough (using whole-wheat pastry flour, if desired)
1 cup apple butter
2 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup pecan halves
2 tsp cornstarch

~for the maple glaze~
1 T butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans, for garnish

Place the apple butter, cream cheese, pecan halves, and cornstarch in a food processor and process till completely smooth. Set aside. The filling can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until 30 minutes before use. Excess filling can be added to oatmeal or used as a filling for stuffed French toast.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. Use a pizza cutter to trim the dough into a rectangle, using a ruler or tape measure to help divide into even, 2x3-inch rectangles. 

Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling over half of the rectangles, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Place a naked rectangle on top of each filled rectangle. Use the tines of a fork to crimp and seal the edges. Poke a few rows of holes in the tops of the tarts with the fork to create a steam release. Re-roll and repeat with dough scraps.

Carefully transfer the tarts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 17 minutes or baked through and just golden around the edges. 

Let cool a minute or two on the baking sheet; then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Tarts may be prepared ahead of time up to this point and frozen for up to one month if desired. Before freezing, wrap very well in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. To defrost, leave out at room temperature, still wrapped, for 3-4 hours or until thawed.

Toast the chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat just until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Set aside. 

To prepare the glaze, melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in the remaining ingredients until smooth. Use a spoon to spread the glaze over the tarts, sprinkling each tart with the toasted pecans as you go (if you wait until they are all glazed, the pecans won't adhere as well). To reduce mess, you can place the cooling rack over a sheet of aluminum foil or the baking sheet lined with parchment before glazing.

Let the glaze set for a few minutes before trying to stack or layer on a platter.

Note: For another festive alternative, make Pumpkin Pecan Poptarts by swapping out the apple butter with 1 cup pumpkin puree, plus 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp 5-spice powder (optional).

Christina's Pumpkin Pancakes

from Our Best Bites

I made this without the whipped cream because I felt like that was way too much sugar for first thing in the morning, but I think it would be great for a brunch or dessert or something. 

3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
4 ounces cream cheese (low fat is fine, no fat free)
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy or regular) whipped until medium peaks form

Maple syrup for serving

Instructions

Prepare whipped cream by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Take 1/2 of the whipped cream (that you already whipped) and beat it in until smooth.  Add the rest of the whipped cream and use a spatula to gently fold in (do not beat).  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.   

Prepare pancakes.  Whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.  Make sure to break up any clumps of brown sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla, oil, eggs and pumpkin.  Combine wet ingredients with dry and gently combine until mixed.  Do not overmix.

Heat a nonstick griddle to medium heat.  When hot, use butter or nonstick spray to coat the pan.  Drop 1/4 cup pancake batter to form each pancake and cook until edges set (if you wait until they bubble, it might be just a bit too long).  Flip pancakes and cook remaining side.

Serve warm pancakes with a dollop of cream cheese topping and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Makes 12-14 large pancakes.

Christina's Pumpkin Bread

from The Essential Mormon Cookbook

1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs
3/4 C canned pumpkin
1 3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp dry ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 C chocolate chips (optional)
3/4 C chopped pecans (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Add pumpkin and mix. Set aside. Sift dry ingredients in a large bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamy mixture. Beat until blended. Add chocolate chips and pecans if using.

Grease one bread pan (or four mini loaf pans). Bake at 350 F for 1 hour for large loaf or 35-40 minutes for mini loaves.

Christina's Pumpkin Waffles

adapted from Smitten Kitchen


2½ cups all-purpose flour ( or 1 1/2 C white and 1 C whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice (or 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp cloves)
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat waffle iron.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.

Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.

Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth. Fold egg whites gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Cook on waffle iron according to manufacturer instructions. Serve with cinnamon syrup.

Christina's Pumpkin Donuts with Spiced Sugar

from Baking Bites

My father-in-law said these were the best donuts he's has in years.

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp buttermilk

1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin (canned is ok)

Canola oil (for deep-frying)

Spiced Sugar

1 cups sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

dash ground nutmeg

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla, buttermilk and pumpkin. Gently stir in flour mixture until fully incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight if desired. That way you can have donuts first thing in the morning with minimal fuss!

Working with 1/3 of the dough at a time, press the chilled dough out, on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into donuts using donut cutter or roll it all into small donut holes. Repeat until all the dough is used. You may reroll the scraps. You should end up with about 24 donuts and 24 holes.

In a large sauce pan, heat 2-3 inches of oil to 365F/185C. Make a thick stack of paper towels to drain the donuts on. Fry the donuts until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Monitor the temperature to make sure it remains constant. Remove dough to drain and cool thoroughly on paper towels.

In bowl, whisk together sugar and spices. Coat donuts and donut holes in sugar mixture. Eat while warm. 

Christina's Soft Molasses Cookies with Pumpkin Dip

from Kim Moore

3/4 cups butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Add molasses. Combine dry ingredients and mix with batter. Chill, then shape into one inch balls and roll in sugar (optional). Bake at 375 degrees on ungreased cookie sheet for 6 to 8 minutes.

Dip

4 oz cream cheese at room temp.
1/2 15 oz can pumpkin
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin and beat well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill.

Christina's Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

adapted from Buffy Vandagriff Bailey and Posie Gets Cozy

3/4 pound - 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons (or 1 tsp dried sage)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup heavy cream
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
1/4 Parmesan or Romano, plus more for grating

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Return pan to the stove. Add the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add sage, and stock to the pan. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream and 1/4 C Parmesan cheese. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add drained pasta to sauce. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of grated cheese.

Christina's Pumpkin Cupcakes/Muffins

from Martha Stewart

Top with cream cheese frosting or streusel.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice (toss in 1/2 c chopped pecans if desired); set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

White Chocolate/Cream Cheese Icing

14 oz. pure white chocolate, finely chopped
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
12 Tbsp. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoon size pieces

To make the icing, in a double boiler, melt the white chocolate, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Let stand until just warm to the touch. In a large blow, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth and blended. Add the melted chocolate and beat again until smooth. Use the frosting immediately, coloring as desired. Spread 1 to 2 tbsp. of icing over each cupcake and decorate with colored sugars and decorating pens.

Christina's Pumpkin Apple Soup

from What I Made for Dinner

3-4 slices bacon
About 1 dozen fresh sage leaves
2 shallots, minced
1 honeycrisp apple, peeled, grated
1 can pumpkin puree
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup buttermilk
salt & pepper

Fry bacon in large cast iron pot. Set aside and drain most of fat. Crisp sage leaves in remaining bacon fat. Add shallots and apple and cook until soft. Add pumpkin puree, chicken stock, and buttermilk. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop bacon to garnish soup.

Christina's Veggie Frittata with Cilantro Chile Sauce

Cilantro Chile Sauce
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 small bunch cilantro
1 green (serrano) chile, seeds removed
2 pinches ground cumin
a couple big pinches of salt

Frittata

6 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 small potatoes, very very thinly sliced
1/2 cup yellow zucchini or cauliflower,1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
couple pinches of salt

Preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Make the cilantro chile sauce by pureeing the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro, chile, cumin, and salt until very smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt. Set aside. In a (small) 8 1/2-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onion, and another pinch of salt. Saute, stirring constantly, until the onion starts to brown, 5 - 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini (or cauliflower), cover, and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Slide everything out of the skillet onto a plate and set aside.
Turn down the heat a bit. Using the same skillet, add the eggs and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are just set and there isn't a lot of liquid running around the pan. To facilitate this, run a spatula underneath the sides of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside and cook. Drizzle the eggs with a few tablespoons of the cilantro chile sauce, now sprinkle the potato onion mixture over the top.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 9 minutes, or until well set and puffy. Add a crumble of goat cheese and the pumpkin seeds across the top of the frittata in the final 2 minutes of baking. Remove from oven (be careful the handle is hot!), cut into wedges and serve.

Christina's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.