Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies

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My mum used to make these cookie every fall season. They were one of my families favourite treats. They aren’t your typical cookies though, they are almost like cake cookies or muffin tops. They puff up and are so moist and perfect.

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I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.  Any time I have a snack craving, its always for something salty. Olives, cheese, nuts, anything but cookies, cake and chocolate. My man on the other hand, has the biggest sweet tooth. I am happy I get to bake for someone. I love all the recipes my mum used to make me but it makes be even more happy that I get to pass along those recipes for someone else to enjoy.

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling*
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp almond milk (regular milk is fine)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

*If you are using plain pumpkin puree you will need to add:

  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • dash of salt

** one large can of pumpkin pie filling will make 2 batches.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon.
  3. spoon out cookies onto cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for 10-12 mins

 

Bourbon Cherry Pie with Buttermilk Crust

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A few weeks ago I made the most delish cherry pie I have ever eaten. I mean, it was unreal how good it was. I wasn’t prepared for it to be so tasty.  My parents were visiting from out of town so we had them over for a BBQ. Like I said, I didn’t know this recipe was going to turn out so well and my parents were over as it was coming out of the oven so I was not able to get great pictures of it. But I think its still worthy of sharing.

A friend of mine had given me a giant bowl of cherries from her yard. She had way too many and wanted someone to use them up. I thought, what a great excuse to practice my pie crust. The first time I made pie crust it completely fell apart and did not work at all.  I think it was because I worked the dough too much with my hands and melted the butter. Lesson learned. This time went a lot better. The crust was a perfect consistency when rolling out. The only thing I might change is trying to bake the crust a bit first before adding the cherry filling. When I pulled the pie out of the oven it looked perfect and brown on the top but it wasn’t fully cooked on the bottom, as a found out once I had sliced into it. I’ll try a different method when I make my apple pie next.

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**sidenote**

Bourbon is a new love of mine. I’m a fan of whiskeys and other spirits but this was the first time I had experimented with bourbon in my cooking. Now I’ve been sipping it after a long day as my night cap. Just add a cube of ice and I’m in heaven.

Pitting the cherries was probably the most tedious part of this recipe. It’s a good thing I have a handsome helper. My man is the best cherry pitter around!

Crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour, (1,020 g) plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup cold buttermilk, (78 ml) plus more if needed

Filling:

6 cups pitted cherries (fresh or frozen and not defrosted; (1,120 g)
3⁄4 cup (150 g) white sugar
1⁄4 cup (30 g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄8 tsp fine sea salt
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) bourbon whiskey

Instructions:

Make the crust –

1. Place the flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles small peas. Do not over work with your hands. You don’t want the butter to melt too much.

2. Pour in the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon, drizzling in more 1 tbsp of buttermilk at a time, until the dough just comes together (a few dry spots are ok). Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead until no dry spots remain, about 1 minute.

3. Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a circular disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. At this point you can place the dough in the fridge for up to one week or use as directed in your recipe.

Make the pie –

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven,  preheat to 425ºF (220ºC). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

2. To make the filling, in a large bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt to combine. Add the cherries and bourbon to a large saucepan on medium heat, toss in sugar mixture and stir until combined, simmer for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens around the cherries. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before filling your pie crust.

3. Spoon the fruit and juices into the chilled crust, smoothing it flat. You can do a weave on top like I did. Cut pieces of different thickness, braid smaller pieces together and weave them into the pattern. I cut out little cherries with the left over dough and created a nice decoration on the side.  Brush the rounds with the cream or milk and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

4. Place the pie on the lined baking sheet. Bake at 425ºF (220ºC) for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 375ºF (190ºC) and continue baking until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling thickly, 35–50 more minutes.

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls are one of my biggest guilty pleasures. The combination of cinnamon, butter and cream cheese just makes my mouth water. These cinnamon rolls are not my original recipe, its a recipe from Half Baked Harvest Cookbook, one of my all time favourite cookbooks. These rolls have some funkiness to them from letting the dough sit over night. This eggy brioche dough is buttery and has sweetness to them that make them irresistible . Super delish. It’s a bit of work to let the dough rise and wait for certain steps but when you bake these up in the morning its a perfect sweet treat with a cup of coffee for your slow morning.

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Recipe

Makes 12 – 15 Rolls

Dough:

1/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp instant yeast
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (or whole milk, I used buttermilk because thats what I had)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for greasing
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Filling:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split legthwise and seeds scraped out (optional)

Frosting:

6 tbsp unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
milk or water as needed

Instructions:

  1. MAKE THE DOUGH. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the warm milk, eggs, melted butter, and salt and mix on medium speed until combined. gradually add flour and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If dough still feels sticky add a little more flour.
  2. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. kneed it into a smooth ball. Grease the mixer bowl lightly with butter and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
  3. MAKE THE FILLING. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean seeds and mix well.
  4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour again. turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Position the dough with a long side closest to you. Spread the 1/2 cup of softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle evenly with the filling and lightly push it into the butter. Starting with the side closest to you, pull the edge up and over the filling and carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight. Pinch the edge to seal.
  5. Slide dental floss (make sure its not flavoured) or a thin piece of string under the log and wrap it across and around the roll. Keeping one end in each hand, tighten the floss so it starts to cut through the roll, making 12 – 15 rolls, each 3/4 to 1 inch wide.
  6. Place the rolls cut-side up in generously greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  7. If time allows, once the rolls have doubled in size, place them in the fridge overnight or for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake, let the rolls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. (This allows the dough to develop more flavour, but if you are short on time, you can skip this step and continue on with the recipe.)
  8. Preheat the oven to 350F
  9. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown,
  10. MAKE THE FROSTING. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the butter is lightly browned and smells toasted. Immediately remove from heat and let cool.
  11. in a medium bowl, beat together the cooled browned butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until smooth. if the frosting is too thick for your liking, add a tablespoon of milk or water to thin it.
  12. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls. ENJOY!