Up until a few weeks ago I had been living under the impression that making your own pumpkin puree was hard. Like, so wildly hard that there was no reason to ever attempt it. Have you ever made pumpkin puree from scratch? I just didn’t see the reason to do it, and this coming from someone who has made her own butter. And then I was talking to one of my colleagues from work and everything changed.

We were talking about what we were going to make for the upcoming cake sale (where I made pumpkin butterscotch cookies), and we got to talking about cooking with pumpkin. She said she’d made a pumpkin pie once and that she had made her own puree. I was gobsmacked. And then we had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: What?! You made the pumpkin puree?!

Her: Yeah, how else do you do it?

Me: Get it from a can!

And then we both looked at each other slightly confused. At least, that’s how I remember it.

Needless to say, after this conversation I felt a little silly. Why was I so dependent on a can? Where had I learned that making my own pumpkin puree would be so hard? Now I was determined to try it out for myself.

What I learned is, the hardest part of making your own pumpkin puree is ensuring that you don’t get attached to your pumpkin. I went to Waitrose with my friend Sarah and picked out what I thought was fine pumpkin. She pointed out it was ugly looking on one side. I said, “It’s fine, we’re going to eat it.” And then I got home and told Ryan I bought a pumpkin. He got excited and asked if we were going to carve it. “No,” I said, “we’re going to eat it.” A word of advice to you my friend: don’t name it, don’t carve it, don’t get attached to your pumpkin!

Even though I wasn’t carving the pumpkin, preparing the pumpkin for cooking starts much the same way. You slice off the top and then scoop out the insides. I cut the pumpkin in half before scooping out the insides. Save the seeds if you’re into that. Then cut your pumpkin in quarters and put on a roasting pan to then cook the slices in the oven. Put the slices in the oven plain – no seasoning or oil. This is so you have the purest pumpkin puree, which I think is really the reason to make this yourself. Sure, opening a can is easier but by making this yourself you’re getting the freshest ingredients with no unknown or unnecessary additives.

When choosing a pumpkin buy one on the smaller side. Save that big impressive gigantic pumpkin for carving. My research said that big pumpkins result in less flavor and a less pleasant texture. This guy here weighed 1.2 kg (2.64 pounds) and resulted in 393 grams (about 1 3/4 cups) of puree. This is probably just slightly less than what you’d get in a can from the super market. The end result was really tasty (because yes, I ate some plain with a spoon). It’s smooth, but less perfectly smooth than a can. I credit that with magical additives used in the canning factory plus also my food processor is mediocre.

What I like best about making my own pumpkin puree is how excited I am to use it. I am itching to make a pumpkin pie and I think I’ll be especially proud when the finish product is extra homemade.

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Messy level: I am giving this four spoons only because I hate, hate, hate cleaning the food processor. It’s so many pieces and such a pain! Also, it’s a little messy in peeling the pumpkin. Some pieces of skin just peeled off, and some fought back a little. It was annoying, but it was a good excuse to taste test what was stuck to my hands.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

 

Print

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Serves: 1¾ cup

Ingredients

• 1 smallish pumpkin (or more depending on desired final amount)
• water, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Cut the top of the pumpkin off near the stem. About 1" of the top cut off is fine.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half.
4. Use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds and inner gunk. You can throw this away or set the seeds aside to roast if you like that.
5. Cut the cleaned pumpkin in half again so you have 4 pumpkin quarters.
6. Put the pumpkin quarters on to a roasting pan.
7. Roast the pumpkin for 45 minutes or until you can easily stick a fork into the flesh.
8. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and let cool until you can safely handle them.
9. Use a knife, a peeler, or your hands to remove the pumpkin skin. It will mostly come off easily, and where it's difficult just use a peeler.
10. Put the pumpkin flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth. If you notice your pumpkin is too dry then you can add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you have your desired consistency. (I added 2 tablespoons of water) If you're finding your pumpkin is too wet you can strain off some of that liquid after you're done with the food processor.
11. Transfer your pumpkin puree to a bowl if you're going to use immediately or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator if you'll be using it later.

3.3.3077

The post How to Make Pumpkin Puree appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Just over a week ago my coworker organized a cake sale to raise money for Mind. The idea was that the Explainer team would bring in treats (homemade or store bought) and then donate some money to the cause. Mind is a lovely charity that provides advice and support for people experience mental health problems and they work to promote awareness and understanding in society. And my colleagues and I are big fans of sweets, we will eat pretty much anything, so it’s a great idea to put our love for food towards a good cause. 

Since it’s autumn, I’m pumpkin crazy  and was originally going to make pumpkin bread. But then when I was in Baltimore I bought some sprinkles called “micro leaves” in autumn colors and I just had to use them. So it was going to be pumpkin and it was going to be cookies. In case you don’t have awesome colorful sprinkles you can easily do this recipe without the sprinkles – but I do think they add a nice flair.

People made all kinds of things for the cake sale though. There was cheesecake, an apple tart, brownies, cookies, savory pastries, and so much more. It was the best day of work ever. Usually where there are sweets on the table everything is gone before my first break. This day there were cakes all day. ALL DAY! And more kept appearing throughout the day. Best, sugariest, day ever. Even better we raised £170 for Mind. Yay team.

I was really pleased with these cookies because they have all the spicy warm flavors of pumpkin spice and they are so soft and cake like. I was also really pleased because at the end of the day I went home with an empty tin. Always a sign of a good treat.

This recipe is adapted from Two Peas in Their Pods. In that recipe they use cinnamon chips. I’d never heard of cinnamon chips. What’s even in those?! According to Hershey’s website it is chocolate (I assume white chocolate) and cinnamon flavoring. But I couldn’t find those but what I did find was butterscotch chips. Yum. They are so crazy sweet with a slight toffee flavor. It’s a nice addition to the cinnamon and nutmeg you put into the batter.

The other thing is the original recipe covered the cookies in cinnamon sugar – I used sprinkles instead. But I think if you don’t have sprinkles try out the cinnamon sugar. Just mix 1/4 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Roll dough into balls, roll through sugar mix, and put on the try to bake.

I found this batter extremely sticky so I put it in the fridge for 1 hour. I like this because it makes the batter easier to work with and it gives the cookies a thicker chewier texture which I like. If you’re pressed for time you can bake it right away but you’ll likely get a flatter crisper cookie (and messy fingers).

Finally, just to come back to the reason why I made these cookies – for the cake sale to raise money for Mind. If you, or someone you know needs support with mental health please consider reaching out to Mind. Click on the link for their website, or call 0300 123 3393, or text 86463. Mind works with people in the UK and I’m familiar with them because of the cake sale. I’m not  familiar with resources in the US, but if you know of good resources and things worth sharing please write them in the comments below. Anyway thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy these cookies!

Adapted from Two Peas in Their Pods.

Messy level: Making these cookies is similar to any other cookie recipe – add dry ingredients to wet and there you go. But this recipe is pretty sticky so you’ll get messy as you form the cookies. All in all, pretty easy. 

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

27 mins

 

Serves: 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 2½ cups/ 312 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¾ cup/ 170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup/ 100 grams granulated sugar
• ½ cup/ 110 grams packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup/ 175 grams pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup/ 170 grams butterscotch chips
• colorful sprinkles, optional

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined.
4. Stop the mixture and slowly fold in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
5. Gently fold in the butterscotch chips.
6. Put the batter in the fridge and let it chill for 1 hour or up to overnight.
7. About 10-15 minutes before the batter is ready to come out of the fridge preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
8. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
9. Shape dough into balls about 1 inches in diameter. Flatten slightly and sprinkle with colorful sprinkles if using.
10. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
11. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are just brown around the edges.
12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely (if you can resist).

3.3.3077

The post Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

No, not dog food – it’s puppy chow! And it’s seasonally on trend – it’s pumpkin puppy chow. Or muddy buddies. It’s not so important to me what you call it. And if you’ve never had it before it’s a delicious sweet snack. Plus, it’s beyond easy to make and when it’s done you’ll want to eat it by the fistful. 

I think because of backyard barbecues summer is billed as the time of year when people get together to eat. But, actually in my experience I get together more with people during autumn. Summer everyone’s busy trying to get outside or going on holiday. Autumn, the weather starts to get cold, it gets darker earlier, and people are home and invite each other over to stay inside to hang out. And when you’re hanging out indoors, you’re going to snack.

A big tub of puppy chow reminds me of lots of autumn get-togethers with family and friends. It reminds me of my Titi Lisa who often brought it to family gatherings like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or it reminds me of my friend Jess who would bring it for the annual cabin weekend trip that we had with our friends every October. And last Sunday, Ryan and I went to our friends Adam and Angie’s house to watch American football, and I thought yeah it would be delicious here too.

In the US puppy chow is made with Chex cereal. Here in the UK, I used a similar cereal called Shreddies. I found the Shreddies to be a little more thick, crunchy, with a stronger wheat flavor, yet still just as good. So you start with something fairly healthy like wheat cereal, and then you cover it in chocolate, pumpkin, spices, and powdered sugar. It’s incredible. In addition to being crazy simple, this recipe makes a ton so you can share it with everyone you know.

And my recommendation is definitely to share it. These are best eaten the day you make them. Although they last, I find the longer they sit then the more likely the cereal is to lose its crunch. But they’ll go quick, because as I said it’s so easy to eat these by the fistful. Finally, if you’re interested in other puppy chow versions check out the puppy chow archives from Sally’s Baking Addiction. She has some great flavor combinations.

Adapted from Land O’Lakes.

Messy level: It is possible to do this neatly. It really is. However, I’m going to give it a high spoon rating just because there’s so much room for mess. You have to pour the chocolate over the cereal and then mix it until everything is coated – and sometimes everything means you and your hands. Then you transfer this all to a bag and coat it with powdered sugar. That can also get everywhere. If you’re patient and careful it’s a one spoon recipe, if you’re tired and in a rush it can be three spoons messy no problem.

Pumpkin Puppy Chow

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup/ 115 grams butter
• 12 oz/ 340 grams chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, but you could use semi sweet too)
• ½ cup /115 grams pumpkin puree
• 1 13.5oz box / about 9 cups/about 1 500 gram box of square rice cereal like Chex or Shreddies
• 2½ - 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 large resealable plastic food bag (about 1 gallon size or larger)
• *Alternatively you could use 2½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Instructions

1. Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium sized saucepan over low heat. Stir regularly until the mixture is smooth.
2. Add the pumpkin puree and continue heating. Stir constantly until it is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Put the cereal in a very large bowl or tub. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal. Stir until everything is coated.
4. Transfer the chocolate coated cereal to the plastic bag. Pour 2½ cups of the powdered sugar into the bag. Close the bag and shake until the powder evenly coats the cereal. If you feel like the cereal isn't sufficiently coated then add the last ½ cup of powdered sugar.
5. Pour into a serving bowl and share with friends.

3.3.3077

The post Pumpkin Puppy Chow appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

I have a new addition to my cookbook collection that I want to tell you about. It’s Domestic Chíc by Kristin Sollenne. The book came out earlier this month and it’s lovely. Kristin Sollenne has been on a few Food Network TV shows as a judge or mentor and she’s oversees the three kitchens of New York City Restaurant Group’s Bocca Di Bacco. Her style is lightened Italian-American fare that aligns with what’s in season. 

Domestic Chíc isn’t just recipes though, it’s about making entertaining easier and more enjoyable. The book is divided into four sections for each of the seasons, then within each season there are menus for different entertaining occasions. So, for winter there is a New Year’s Eve menu, a Super Bowl menu, as well as a few other menu ideas. The idea being that if you were having a party you could cook everything from a given menu and you’d have your starters, mains, and desserts – but alternatively you could go à la carte and just pick and choose what you liked.

I’m really into the menu ideas. I think it’s helpful for holidays when you know you’ll be cooking – like Thanksgiving, or maybe Valentine’s Day. I also think it’s nice because it could encourage you to be festive even without an occasion – like her Nautical menu. Also, I really loved that she used similar items across menus. I think this makes cooking really easy and less expensive – especially for new or infrequent cooks. If I was going to be asked to buy pecans for a pecan pie – then I knew I could go back to Domestic Chíc and find one or two other recipes that called for pecans. I love that because then nothing gets purchased and then left to take up space forgotten in my cupboard.

Above each menu is a head note with a little anecdote about Sollenne’s own memories or experiences and then a decorating suggestion to complement the menu’s theme. On the surface I like the idea of this. I think when entertaining it’s valuable to set a whole mood. And why not run wild with your theme? But, I really wished the accompanying photos showed what she described. For with a fall menu she suggested using jewel tone plates to highlight the bold colors of autumn, but the photo was of white plates and some orange leaves. I like the visual inspiration and just thought that would have been helpful.

But, while we’re talking about photographs let’s talk about Kristin Sollenne. She’s crazy beautiful. She looks like Princess Jasmine. In the cookbook there are a few photos of her working as a chef, and those are my favorite. There are also a few photos of her in heels and a cocktail dress wearing her Cellini aprons (I think it’s a brand she designs). She’s super cute. However, I’m not sure anyone can cook for a dinner party in a cocktail dress and heels. You gotta throw that on right before guests arrive so they can be all, “wow you are so put together,” and you can nod and say, “oh thanks!”

What makes the book though is the recipes. There were so many recipes that I immediately wanted to make. In reviewing this cookbook I made four recipes. I made a cheesecake with berries, melting brie with fruit, pumpkin gnocchi, and this recipe for pumpkin bread. As this is an entertaining book the portions are huge. Specifically, this pumpkin bread recipe makes two really big loaves! I made the cheesecake first and it was really delicious and much easier than I thought it would be. It also was really delicious with a subtle flavor of vanilla and lemon zest. It was so good Ryan and I decided I shouldn’t bring any in to work to share with my colleagues.

For this recipe, and for some of the others I made, I would have liked visual indicators in addition to time indicators. I had never made cheesecake before… and as it cooked it rose and looked like a giant cheesecake muffin. I was nervous. Should it look like that?! The recipe just said how long to bake it. I listened to the recipe and the cheesecake deflated and looked and tasted great in the end. But I was worried, I didn’t know! It worked out well though, so maybe I’m stressing too hard.

The melting brie was beyond easy and would be perfect for an appetizer at a party. Who doesn’t love melted cheese? The pumpkin gnocchi is where I ran into problems. I was not able to get the dough to come together and so all I had was orange goo. I’m willing to try it again as it might have been user error. As well, sometimes I have problems with US recipe using UK dairy. My guess it that the fat contents are different and so things don’t come together in the same way. Who knows, it didn’t work.

The pumpkin bread however was a different story. It worked like a dream and was so delicious. I love pumpkin bread from Starbucks or from the Pillsbury box – so I’m excited I can now make this on my own. It was so easy to make and tastes delicious. The bread is soft and tasty. It’s great for breakfast, probably with enough structure to toast, and infinitely snackable. I know snackable isn’t a word, but it should be. I can see this pumpkin bread becoming my autumn staple. It’s perfect for the season, sweet, and simple to make. I can see bringing it to work to share with coworker, I can see making it for cabin weekends with my friends, and I can see making it just to have for breakfast.

Although I have a few issues with the book, overall I’m really into it. I can completely see turning back to it on Thanksgiving to make a pecan pie, or on Christmas for cinnamon buns, or just for dinner so I can make curried linguine al’vongole. I think it will become a book with food splattered pages and creases in the spine. Check it out, it’s great.

Domestic Chic was given to me for free by Waldorf Publishing. The opinions, writing, and photographs in this post are all my own. 

Recipe from Domestic Chic by Kristin Sollenne. No changes or additions from me.

Messy level: Pretty straightforward recipe, you just need two bowls, mix, and bake. Very simple.

Pumpkin Bread

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

90 mins

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

 

Author: Kristin Sollenne from Domestic Chic

Serves: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups pumpkin
• ⅔ cup water
• ½ cup candied pecans, loosely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans. In a medium-mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sea salt, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend sugar, oil, and eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Slowly blend the flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. While blending the mixture add the water incrementally. Pour the batter into two prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Bake for 90 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the oven.

3.3.3077

The post Pumpkin Bread + Domestic Chic Cookbook Review appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

I have been thinking about making pumpkin pie and bringing it to work. I like bringing food into work because I love to bake and sharing what I make means Ryan and I won’t gorge too much on sweets. But one of the things I like best about living here (and travel in general) is trying and sharing new foods.

Since starting work, I have tried various kinds of cookies (biscuits, if I want to be proper about it) and a mince pie, which is a sweet pie that Santa gets when he comes with presents. I’ve brought in s’mores flavored candy corn – and practically no one had ever had candy corn or a s’more. And to digress for a second, it seems sad to me that s’mores aren’t a thing here. I think I should start a food truck that makes s’mores with different chocolates, different graham crackers, and maybe add-ins like nutella and bananas. Sounds delicious right? If you still don’t know what a s’more is, read about it here.

But back to pumpkin pie. From what I can tell, pumpkin pie isn’t really popular here. This is evidenced by the fact that nothing in the grocery store is pumpkin flavored whereas in the US everything is pumpkin flavored this time of year. Also, I introduced pumpkin pie to two people here, with, what I think was, great success. Recently Ryan and I were invited to an Italian lunch at our friends Alessia and Raffaello’s flat. Alessia made an amazing pasta, a meat dish, a cheese plate, potatoes, tomatoes and finished with esperesso. It was a delicious feast and Ryan and I loved trying some new Italian foods. For dessert, I brought a pumpkin cream cheese pie and it was the first time they had something like it. So I thought, maybe I should introduce more people to pumpkin pie and thereby become an ambassador for American sweets. And doesn’t that sound like an awesome job? Ambassador for American Sweets in the UK. I like it.

Writing all of this, it’s clear to me that I over think pie. And maybe in general, think about pie too much (if that’s possible). But, for perfect shareability, I thought making pumpkin pie bars would be the best way to go. Bars mean more pieces, no need for plates or utensils, and you can have as big or small a slice as you like – the perfect solution for sharing with a bunch of colleagues. I also decided to add a little richness by adding a sprinkling of chocolate chips at the top. I like pumpkin and chocolate, I think it’s nice but you can certainly leave them off. Next time I make these, I’m going to melt the chocolate and create some sort of marble swirl design on the top.

So, this batch was just for me and Ryan. But around Thanksgiving, I intend to bring these pumpkin pie bars to work and share some of my holiday traditions with the Brits. And I bet whoever your coworkers are, they’ll appreciate some pumpkin pie in the break room.

 Crust is adapted from a recipe by Sally’s Baking Addition and the pie filling is based on a recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

Messy level: This is actually a one spoon recipe because I bashed the graham crackers using a plastic bag and rolling pin. That means, in the end I only used one dish, one whisk, and a few measuring cups to make this whole recipe. Easy peasy! I also think because we’re making bars, the crumbs for the crust stay contained and don’t fall as easily as they do when making a regular pie.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Crust

• 1¼ cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (Crush cookies in a processor or using a plastic bag and rolling pin)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted

Pie Filling

• 1 large egg
• 1 egg white
• 1¼ cups pumpkin puree (it's about ¾ of a standard 15oz can)
• ¼ cup (50g) sugar
• ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon all spice
• sprinkle nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325/165°.
2. Mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter together in a medium bowl until combined.
3. Press into the bottom of an 8x8 square pan.
4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
5. When the crust is done, turn the oven up to 425/220°.
6. To make the filling, lightly beat the egg and egg white in large bowl. Then whisk in the pumpkin, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, and nutmeg.
7. Slowly whisk in the cream to the pumpkin mixture.
8. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the prepared gingersnap crust.
9. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips, if using.
10. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350/180° and cook for another 20 minutes. The pie is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

3.2.2807

The post Pumpkin Pie Bars appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

These cookies are lovely because they taste and smell like all the best part of the holidays. Making these, and baking these, made me feel like I was walking through a Christmas market drinking cider. They evoke a sense memory that is soothing and makes me feel like I’m snuggled in a blanket. But in all honesty, they don’t taste too strongly of pumpkin. It’s no matter though because in addition to pumpkin there are chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pumpkin pie spice, and molasses (which is called dark treacle here). See, it has all the yummy flavors of autumn.

The cookie batter is  little weird because it is soft and sticky. It is less easy to manage than a regular chocolate chip cookie batter. It also calls for melted butter, and I’m not sure why because I didn’t create this recipe, it’s from Sally’s Baking Addiction. The thing about the melted butter is, when I melted it and it cooled it the cookies came out thicker and more cakey. When I melted the butter, but mixed it hot, the cookies came out thinner and softer. I don’t really know the science of why this works, but this is my observation. I just started my job at the Science Museum, so I feel a little bad not knowing the science and just asking us all to accept some sort of baking mystery. But, I did do some research and it seems like other bakers have had the same experience. What I remember from making gluten-free cookies is that melted butter helps wet what could be a dry mixture and help activate the protein structures. How that makes the cookies spread, I don’t know. I’ll look into it and get back to you.

If you try it, let me know how it goes for you. But, do with this information what you will, the main effect is on texture. The delicious flavor is there regardless. Also, for those visual learners among you, check out the difference in texture in the photos below.

What’s most important thought, is that you make these cookies. You should definitely make them if you’re having people over! Your home will smell amazing and everyone will be happy because there will be cookies.

Messy level: Ordinarily I would give basic drop cookies 1 spoon, since they are easy to mix in a bowl or two. These cookies are two spoons because the batter is sticky and so it gets all over your hands as you put the cookies on the sheet to bake. Also, molasses is a pain to measure and pour. A good tip is to spray your measuring spoon with some cooking spray, then pour in the molasses. The molasses will slip right out and won’t be stuck in the spoon! 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Cranberries

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Delicious cookies that have all the flavors of autumn

Author: Sally's Baking Addiction

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 heaping tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 8 oz unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup dark molasses
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• chocolate chips and dried cranberries - a combo up to a total of 1½ cups.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°/180°.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. If you'd like the cookies thicker, melt the butter now. If you want them thin, don't melt the butter yet.
4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Once well mixed, fold in the oats.
5. If you want your cookies thin, melt the butter now.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk the butter, molasses and both sugars.
7. Once combined, stir in the egg.
8. Now add the pumpkin and vanilla to the sugary-egg mixture.
9. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix.
10. Add in your chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
11. Scoop about 1-2 tbsp of dough onto the prepared sheets. Give the batter enough space to spread.
12. Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes.
13. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.

3.2.2807

The post Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Cranberries appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Last week when when I made the Pumpkin Roll recipe I told you I was making my own pumpkin spice mix, but I didn’t tell you how. So today, here’s a quick post with recipe for pumpkin spice.  Now, you might be thinking, why would I make my own spices? Here are three reasons:

1. You can’t find it in a store
2. You already have the spices you need and don’t want to hit the store
3. Sometimes DIY is fun

This recipe is from allrecipes.com. You could subsitute cloves for the all-spice if you already have that on hand. This makes about 4 tablespoons, increase the recipe as needed. Mix the ingredients below and you’re done. Now let the fall flavors flow.

The post Pumpkin Spice Mix Recipe appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

But England does not celebrate pumpkin everything like the U.S. I can’t find pumpkin spice in the grocery store so I make my own instead. A few weeks ago I had a craving for a pumpkin spice latte. Ryan and I decided to trek over to Starbucks to find out if it had arrived. Mind you, in the U.S. you’d never have to guess because every Starbucks window would be plastered with orange writing and pumpkin pictures. On the way to Starbucks we passed at least four proper coffee shops and a few other places that also sold coffee, but my heart was set on a PSL. We got there, and we were nervous, but they had it! It was advertised with only one small picture and a line item on the menu. How are the people of England supposed to know about pumpkin mania with such little advertising?

To get my true pumpkin fix, I hit the kitchen. I found this recipe for a pumpkin swiss roll on Pinterest and I was excited, but nervous to try it out. To make the beautiful swirl you have to bake then roll up a cake. Roll up a cake?! What if I break it? The key is, as soon as it comes out of the oven, you roll up the cake (without the filling) while it is hot. The cake won’t be so hot as to burn you, but I recommend using gloves or an oven mitt to make it easier. Then, wait for the cake to  be completely cool. It’s hard to be patient (and Ryan and I weren’t entirely patient), but if the cake is hot it will melt your filling and you don’t want that.

This cake is a great treat for any old day, but I also think it can be pretty enough to bring to a party or to your Thanksgiving feasts. The swirl of cream cheese looks just beautiful when cut. And you might not believe me, but this is actually easy to make. Any level of baker can make this recipe, I know it. Most importantly, this roll is incredible delicious. Ryan and I ate this whole roll in about two and a half days and have been talking about making another one ever since. As you can see, we still haven’t gotten our pumpkin fix yet.

I hope you enjoy the new recipe format below. I like this a lot because it looks more streamlined and easy to read. If you like to print recipes, you can finally do that. If you bring your computer into the kitchen, like I do, then you don’t have to scroll as much and won’t get dirty fingers on the keyboard. The only drawback is that I can’t post pictures alongside the steps, but for difficult or strange techniques I’ll still post those pictures above the recipe.

Now enough talk. Get your pumpkin on! Recipe by Sweet Anna’s.

Messy level: This is a three spoon recipe, but just barely. I’m giving it three spoons because you need two bowls for the cake, one for the frosting, and then you still have to sprinkle powdered sugar everywhere. Also, if you over fill the inside you’ll have a cream cheese burst (like I did) at the end of the cake.

Pumpkin Rolls with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

 

Print

Ingredients

• for the cake:
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (for dusting the towel)
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup pumpkin purée
• for the filling:
• 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tbsp butter, softened (if you don't let it soften you will have butter chunks in your filling)
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375º/190º.
2. Line a 10x15" jelly roll pan with parchment paper. (a pan with edges all around, you have to have this pan) Then grease the parchment paper.
3. Somewhere on your counter, spread out a clean kitchen towel or piece of parchment paper, and sprinkle that with powdered sugar.
4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice & salt.
5. In a large bowl, beat eggs, vanilla & sugar until thick & creamy.
6. Add in the pumpkin and mix to combine.
7. Stir in the flour mixture.
8. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan. Spread the batter evenly.
9. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Stay on the side of slightly under cooked, if you over cook it then cake will be too dry and won't roll.
10. Immediately loosen the edges of the cake and turn it out onto the sugared towel/parchment. Peel off the parchment paper.
11. Roll up the cake & towel together fairly tightly, starting with a narrow end.
12. Cool completely on a wire rack.
13. Now start on the filling. In another medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter & vanilla until smooth.
14. Carefully unroll the cooled cake (removing the towel) and spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the cake, coming to about 1″ away from the edges. If you go all the way to the edge, you will have filling oozing out the end.
15. Carefully reroll the cake, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
16. Before serving cut a little slice off of each end so the roll has a smooth look. Then dust the top with powdered sugar.

3.2.2802

The post Pumpkin Rolls with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling appeared first on Cooking is Messy.