__
From our Food Goddess, TaMara:
It’s been pumpkin week here. I’ve made several pumpkin recipes, all sweets. I had planned on having two recipes for you tonight, one being a Pumpkin Cream Pie, unfortunately I forgot to pick up cream cheese and it’s now raining/sleeting/snowing, so I am not going back out for it. You’ll just have to check back later this weekend for the recipe. Lighter and creamier than traditional pumpkin pie, I really liked the piece I had the other night and am hoping on recreating it. Stay tuned…
Meanwhile, I started the week out with Pumpkin Bars (recipe here), a real favorite at my office and with my neighbors, so a big pan goes pretty quickly. Then it was on to create a good spicy pumpkin cookie, the featured recipe tonight. The photo shows both a crumble topping and a cream cheese frosting, but since I really preferred the crumble topping, that’s what I included in the recipe.
Now it’s your turn. Are you a fan of pumpkin? I know it can be one of those ingredients that inspires a very strong response, either positive or negative. What’s your favorite pumpkin product this time of year? I love Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Donuts, but I have admit, the cookies were a pretty good substitute. If not pumpkin, what treat really puts you in a fall mood?
Tonight’s recipe:
Spicy Pumpkin Cookies with Crumble Topping
Cookies
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin spiceCream together butter and sugar; add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla, mixing well. Sift together dry ingredients and slowly mix into pumpkin mixture and mix until well combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then drop by spoonful on a baking sheet. Top with crumble topping, pressing gently into the dough. Refrigerate remaining dough until ready to bake.
Bake for 12-13 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 2 dozen
Topping
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp cinnamonMix together until crumbly
RedKitten
I’ve never been a big fan of pumpkin pie, but I DO love pumpkin baked goods. Tim Horton’s has a pumpkin spice muffin that they bring out every fall. It’s got a swirl of cream-cheese frosting stuffed down the centre, and is topped with candied pumpkin seeds. It’s basically cake, not a muffin, but it’s freaking delicious. Those cookies sound wonderful!
Jewish Steel
What’s worse than the spicy pumpkin cookies is some people really like them. We live in a fallen, depraved world destined for the fire.
rikyrah
they look good, but I’m not a pumpkin fan.
ulee
Spicy pumpkin cookies for the kids. Spicy pumpkin rum cookies for the rest of us.
ulee
Or spicy pumpkin cookies with a beer. Or just a beer. I think you get where I’m coming from here.
BarbCat
Pumpkin has always seemed like goosh you mix typical autumnal spices into. My mens love pumpkin pie though, especially the cheap kind from the grocery store. They even object when I offer to make whipped cream for it as Reddi-Whip is preferred. I need to add they came out of the box that way.
I love pears fresh & poached, grapes in everything; both of those in salads with headier cheeses and a muscat grape dressing. Apple Pies, turnovers, mushroom soups with sherry and black kale salads with golden raisins. While we can all get everything year ’round now, I partition food by the seasons because the line between seasons needs some kind of definition here on the left coast.
That said, I wouldn’t say no to those frosted cookies pictured!
Off to Nevada tomorrow, w/Mr. BarbCat, to bring it in for the President and Shelley Berkley.
TaMara (BHF)
@RedKitten: OMG, I’d be in heaven. Candied pumpkin seeds? Yum.
cathyx
What is the icing on the other? Is it cream cheese icing?
TaMara (BHF)
@rikyrah: I’d be willing to bet you could substitute applesauce for pumpkin puree in the cookies, might have to adjust the amount because of the moisture and get another good cookie.
Hmmm, now that I’ve thought of that, I might have to try that. Next week.
TaMara (BHF)
@cathyx: Yes, it’s cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract pretty standard. I don’t know why I love it on the pumpkin bars, but not so much on the cookies. I think the flavor ratio is wrong, at least for me. A little cream cheese frosting goes a long way.
ColleenMary
We make pumpkin muffins (with mini chocolate chips) all year long–my boys eat them for breakfast, for snacks, for dessert–pretty much 24/7 until they disappear. They also insist that I make them for birthdays at school. YUM!!
cathyx
@TaMara (BHF): I love cream cheese icing. Maybe you need to put two cookies together and make a sandwich. That could put the ratio where you like it.
Just Some Fuckhead
We have pumpkin coffee at work. It sucks.
Joseph Nobles
Denny’s has a Hobbit tie-in menu coming November 6th!
http://io9.com/5954327/the-hobbits-second-breakfast-being-served-at-dennys-is-something-that-is-happening
Frodo’s Pot Roast! Gandalf’s Gobble Melt! The Ring Burger! Shire Sausage Skillet! Radagast’s Red Velvet Pancake Puppies!
I’m not kidding!
cathyx
@Just Some Fuckhead: That sounds disgusting. But I don’t like flavored coffees anyway.
RedKitten
@TaMara (BHF): Yeah, they’re ridiculously good. There are plain pumpkin seeds inside the batter and the candied ones on top.
Here’s a pic.
RedKitten
@cathyx: I had a pumpkin spice latte the other day, and it was pretty decent. It was more spicy than pumpkin-y.
beltane
@Just Some Fuckhead: I tried pumpkin coffee a few years ago and it was undrinkable. Since that time I’ve noticed that this foul brew has become ubiquitous this time of year.
goblue72
Pumpkin Beer – http://seattlebeernews.com/2012/08/elysian-great-pumpkin-beer-festival-returns-october-19-20/
TaMara (BHF)
@RedKitten: Yup, looks as good as it sounds. Now I’m thinking of making candied pumpkin seeds.
Sigh, looks like pumpkin week is going to be longer than expected.
Cassidy
I love pumpkin. I wait all year round just for these few months of fall to get my pumpkin stuff: pumpkin latte, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin bread, etc. my favorite though? Pumpkin curry soup.
TaMara (BHF)
I have to get back to work, but anyone want to put in a vote for next week, I’m toying between a stew or something Italian.
I’m also open to a vegetarian main course if you’re so inclined, I try and intersperse those every few weeks.
I’ll try and pop back in later…
nellcote
pumpkin-proscuitto ravioli…yummy
jeffreyw
@TaMara (BHF): Italian stew!
PeakVT
@Joseph Nobles: I so wish you were kidding.
Schlemizel
Pie is ok but I really don’t like cookies or muffins in pumpkin. Here is a different take on pumpkin – none of the common pie spices & it makes a very nice fall dish
Spicy Pumpkin SOup
4 Tbs butter
1 lg onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
6 C of pureed roasted pumpkin (3 cans if you are using ready made)
5 C of chicken broth (vegetable if you want vegetarian)
2 C of milk
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C heavy cream
cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, place face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh & mash or puree.
Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent, maybe 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a couple of minutes to release their oils.
Add pumpkin and broth; Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Reduce heat and blend with a stick blender or blend in batches in a stand blender.
Return the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix then slowly add milk stirring constantly. Finally the add cream. Salt and pepper to taste. You can add more red pepper to heat it up or milk to cool it down. I believe the original called for a lot more brown sugar too but I felt it was too much
Yutsano
@TaMara (BHF): @jeffreyw: Ribolita! Well at least from me. :)
Or maybe just Italian wedding soup.
Schlemizel
@TaMara (BHF):
I’d love Italian and am always up for vegetarian now.
BTW I decided to try the old barbeque method. If you hold a piece of meat around 200F the collagen melts & really tenderizes the meat. Thats why those tough cuts smoked low & slow are so tender and juicy. I put up a roast on Sunday & cooked it at 200 for about 4 hours. I was actually able to eat it! That was very nice for a change.
Steeplejack
@TaMara (BHF):
True dat. I love the taste, but almost everything has way too much on it.
JCT
Pumpkin couscous is a favorite around here… straight up couscous from the couscousiere (admittedly a bit of an all-day pain) with pumpkin, other squash and lamb.
Wag
My favorite pumpkin pie recipe has a shot of Myers Dark Rum, and the oaky caramel notes from the rum balance really nicely with the pumpkin.
MikeJ
@Wag: My favourite pumpkin pie recipe has a bottle of rum in it. You drink the rum, drill a hole in the pumpkin, microwave it 30 seconds to get it up to body temp and then…
never mind.
waratah
The only pumpkin pie I will eat is the one made with Libby’s recipe on the can, and with the original spices not the pumpkin pie spice mix.
I do like pumpkin bread.
I might try your bar recipe.
bemused
Is it all about the holy pumpkin or can I ask if anyone has a lemon squares recipe using frozen concentrated lemonade as an ingredient? It’s fall, cold and we had 6 inches of wet snow today. I will be in no mood for lemonade until spring so I want to use up the can in the freezer.
jibeaux
I thought I liked most everything pumpkiny, but saw a picture someone put up of pumpkin flavored vodka. Too far. The Abita seasonal pecan beer is good, though. For baked goods, this is not a revolutionary recipe, but Google Sara Foster’s pumpkin bread for a straightforward classic. I want the recipe for the bars.
BarbCat
@Schlemizel: Coriander. I am down with that recipe. Going to use Dave’s Delicious Vegetable Broth I get fresh from the Farmer’s Market.
Thatgaljill
I made pumpkin risotto for dinner on Sunday night and it was awesome. I didn’t have any white wine so I added some shaved parm in the final stir and it gave it a nice bite. Served with some grilled chicken. nom nom nom
RaflW
Pumpkin season is my favorite! I eat way too many Costco pumpkin pies during the season. It’s not haute cuisine, but it’s darn good.
Now, in the world of haute cuisine, I was in Venice in early September and had – oh mah ghhod – savory pumpkin flan at La Zuccha (the Pumpkin). We actually considered ordering a second serving it was so damn good.
Any recipe ideas on that would be most welcome.
Also had a savory pumpkin mousse in Bologna that was quite lovely. Mmmm.
Maude
@waratah:
I have a can of pumpkin and evaporated milk, eggs etc. Picked up a couple of frozen pie shells this morning. Will make pie this weekend. I follow the directions on the can.
ThresherK
I was wondering what new device I could make with sugar pumpkins. I’ll have to try this.
(And Alton Brown’s recipe to roast them is recommended.)