Baked Pumpkin Spice Doughnut HolesRecipe taken from here
I love pumpkin, and what better way to indulge in my obsession than the fall season? We bought a few cans at the grocery store near Thanksgiving and really I didn't get around to baking anything with pumpkin in it until just before Hallowe'en. I'm not sure why, I think I was trying to conserve my cans, or look for the perfect recipe, but instead I made molasses cookies to fill that void of pumpkin. Needless to say I still craved pumpkin, hence the next few recipes!
Doughnuts have never been a weakness of mine, I mean I worked at Tim Horton's for the majority of my high school education then continued on when I moved away from home, and I probably only had five doughnuts TOTAL. Yes, they may have been tempting especially during the October month when pumpkin spice doughnuts were the special, but... I just couldn't do it... too un-healthy, and I know if I did it once, I'd let myself do it another time and another time. I have tried my hand at making doughnuts a few times through out my blogging days and even though the flavours have come close they have never succeeded with actually "oomph" and fluff due to the fact that I don't own a doughnut pan. When I found a recipe for simply doughnut holes that only required mini muffin tins and were baked I knew I had to try it! Again, deep-fried doughnuts really really turn me off. The fact that for one it's super duper unhealthy, the fact that I could scald myself to death... okay not really but I do look at it that way, the fact that it smells up the house and makes it smell like McDonald's, noooo thank you!
These may not be what you're used to in a typical "doughnut" but they come extremely extremely close, and will definitely give into your cravings. If you've ever had an old-fashion plain or old-fashion sugar/cinnamon timbit/doughnut at Tim Horton's or of similar names at other coffee shops you will see just how similar they actually are! Really they're so good though, to try and think of the differences between the two you'll be wasting valuable time where you could simply be eating them... yes, can you tell I really liked them? Hahaha.
Ingredients:
For Doughnuts:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (I used pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup vanilla-fortified soy milk
For Coating: *Note: I didn't use butter, I used the following ingredients instead and just tossed the doughnuts in there, the sugar stuck really well since there was still Pam leftover from the baking process and it gave it a crunchy outer shell.
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp allspice
Preheat oven 350°F. Spray each cup in a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray or butter generously.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices (through cloves). In a separate, large bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined – do not over mix!
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. (Using a 2-tablespoon scoop will ensure uniform size.) Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the muffins bake, melt butter in one bowl and combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove muffins from oven and cool for 2 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Dip each muffin in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Recipe taken from here
To go with that I made a pumpkin snickerdoodle. Now let me rant for a quick second. I have tried making snickernoodle's I think two or three times now. Every time I have tried I have failed. Why? I haven't a clue, and it irritates me to no end seeing as the first time I tried to make a FULL Thanksgiving meal BY MYSELF it came out wonderfully, snickerdoodles an insanely easy recipe? Fail. Well, the first one, I think it's cause I used cinnamon spread instead of butter so it wasn't fluffy, they didn't flatten and it was just a mess. The next time I made them, I didn't flatten them, they tasted good but seriously lacked the snickerdoodle look. This time however, they were beautiful, ORANGE, pumpkin flavoured, coated with beautiful spices and sugar and just looked and tasted amazing. This was such a nice twist to your normal snickerdoodle I was so happy with how they turned out. This is definitely a recipe I will make next fall because it's all the fall flavours, and you get a beautiful orange tinge from the pumpkin and it just makes it exciting, I'm such a kid I know... I think it's time to go onto the recipe... so follow me!
Cookies:
- 2 sticks butter (1 cup), at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Rolling Sugar:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp allspice
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Beat flour mixture into liquid mixture a little at a time until incorporated.
Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray). Mix rolling sugar in a small bowl.
Remove cookie dough from refrigerator. Use a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 Tbsp.) or a large spoon to scoop out dough and roll into balls. Use your hands to roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and make sure they’re coated really well. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a glass with a nice, flat bottom to dip in sugar and flatten the balls.
Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes or so, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pumpkin Pie White Chocolate/Semi-Sweet Chocolate Cups:
Recipe taken from here
We then have another pumpkin recipe which takes your traditional peanut butter cup and transforms it into a pumpkin pie cup! Yes, can it be any more indulgent? I don't think so. Peanut butter and chocolate are soul mates, just as I think white chocolate/milk chocolate and pumpkin are soul mates. They just mesh, they go so perfectly together, like water and flour to make glue. Yes, I did just compare chocolate and pumpkin to water and flour, err... These puppies were so good though, and they went very very quickly! I stuck to the original recipe, the only thing is the filling definitely made much much more than said and I didn't have enough chocolate, so I decided to melt some semi-sweet chocolate and place walnuts on top of them to make them even more sinful, it worked, ohhh boy did it ever work!
Ingredients:
- 10 oz good-quality chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
- [10 mini (2 inch) aluminum/tin foil muffin liners] *I used a chocolate mold, much easier, less messy, but I kept her directions because not everyone has a chocolate mold for chocolate cups.
- 2 oz (about 4 Tbsp) 1/3-less-fat neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered evaporated cane juice or powdered sugar
- 1 cup finely ground cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (a food processor works best here)
Directions:
Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler (or make your own by setting a heat-proof bowl over a pot with 1 inch of water) over high heat. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce stove heat to low.Continuously stir the chocolate until completely melted. Remove bowl from the heat and place on a heat-proof surface.
Using a small spoon, “paint” the melted chocolate all over the insides of 10 mini tin foil muffin liners (the tin foil cups are easier to peel off than the paper cups). The layer of chocolate should be thick enough so that you cannot see through it, but thin enough that the paper cups remain upright and intact. You will not use all of the melted chocolate in this step.
Allow chocolate cups to cool and harden completely by placing on a tray in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can also complete this step the night before.
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese through vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered evaporated cane juice and beat until smooth. Stir in graham cracker crumbs.
Using a mini ice cream scoop or a small spoon, evenly divide the pumpkin mixture between the hardened chocolate cups. Smooth the top to create an even surface.
If the remaining melted chocolate has hardened too much, simply repeat steps 1-2.
Evenly divide the remaining melted chocolate amongst the filled cups, smoothing the tops and making sure the chocolate reaches all the way to the edges in order to seal the cups.
Chill in the refrigerator until set, about 1-2 hours.
Unwrap cups and enjoy!
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Halloween-y Oreo Truffles
I didn't use a recipe for this since they are so darn easy to make and I remembered how to make them from last year, but as I typed this out I figured I would find directions from elsewhere so I could do it quickly and get back to work... yes I'm currently at work, eeeeek. Therefore recipe "taken" from here
Last Christmas I had made Oreo truffles, I had taken some pictures, but they were on my phone and the quality really wasn't good. These bad boys definitely were a hit though. They were the first of my baked goods to disappear. People really have a weakness for chocolate, me not so much, really it could sit in front of me for hours without even a glance into it's direction, I don't know why. However, of the ones I did try they were definitely very indulgent. This time I decided not to use the chocolate Oreo's since I had the vanilla Oreo on hands and was sick of seeing them in my pantry. Definitely a wise decision though, you should of smelt the aroma these truffles gave off and there isn't even any time spent with the oven turned on (apart from the melting chocolate IF you don't microwave it that is ;) ). These were so good though, and I brought them into work and I kept seeing people sneaking one, then another, then another. I used my smallest scoop too and it was perfect. They really were the perfect bite-sized snack and they were so cutely dressed up too I was really happy with how they came out. A lot of work when you're doing it by yourself because of the chocolate melting process, then the decorating but it really is a lot of fun and does help you relax!Ingredients:
- 1 package vanilla Oreo cookies
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 lb orange chocolate discs (I used Mercken's)
- Halloween (or other festive, seasonal) sprinkles
Directions:
Process Oreos to crumbs in a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in softened cream cheese (hands work best!). Roll into 24 balls, placing them on a wax paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Freeze until solid, at least one hour or up to several days ahead.
Meanwhile melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or microwave if you like). Working a few at a time, dip balls in the chocolate, rolling around to coat all sides; remove with a slotted spoon and return them to baking sheet. Sprinkle with decorations and refrigerate until set.
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