Pumpkin Pie

So its 11:30 and night right now and in a half hour it'll be thanksgiving!! So my mom, sister, and I were full on baking the last few hours (I'll post pics in the morning). And I found this great pumpkin pie recipe and I wanted to show you guys. So here it is.

Ingredients

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/4th teaspoon salt

- 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

- 1 cup half-and-half

- 1/4th cup melted butter (so half a stick)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp ground ginger, optional

- 1 piece pre-made pie dough

- whipped cream for topping

Procedure

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2- Place one piece of the Pre-made pie dough and press down along the bottoms and all side. Pinch and crimp the edges. Put the pie shell into the freezer for an hour to firm up (or a half according to some sources); it just needs to be well- done otherwise it wont hold up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper to cover the shell completely. Fill the shell with pie weights, you can also use rice or beans. Bake for ten minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights, and bake for another ten or until the crust is dried and beginning to turn colors. 

Okay so this seems like a ton of work and it kinda is, so that's why a lot of people generally get pre-made crust at the store. Yes, they do work, but I was committed (and stupid) enough to be stubborn enough to want to make my own. I used Mrs. Kirk's recipe, from Missy's Meanderings :D.  And the good thing is, there are two extra pie shells from that recipe, so my moms already begging for cheesecake:P. 

2- For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer.

Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. 

Add the sugar, salt, and beat some moreeeee. 

And add the eggs, half and half, and melted butter. Beat until combined. 

So I'm a genius right, and I put the butter in for wayyy too long in the microwave and there was loud bubbling noises and etc..:/ Okay now add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger if you're using it. Beat until combined.

okayokay weird filters ik sorry

3- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes. The center should be set. Then place the pie onto a wire rack to cool to room temp. Cut into slices and add whipped cream.

4- Enjoy:)

Okay I'll post final product pics tomorrow. And along with all the other things we baked. Oh and have a GREAT thanksgiving...I'll be enjoying my tofurkey....ugh the downsides of being vegetarian... 

Pumpkin- Pecan Spice Cookies

So I found this recipe while scouring the internet and it looked really good so I had to post it. And its so autumny and festive asdslkjg. I haven't actually baked anything like this so I'm excited. I usually stick to my basic chocolate chip cookies... But I know I'm going to mess up so sorry guys in advance. And ya this sorta takes forever to bake. But as I said it looks awesome and its great for the holidays or for a fall party, and it makes a ton of servings, so ya. And okay ill shut up and bake now.

Serving Size- 42

Ingredients 

- 1 1/2 cups of packed light brown sugar

- 1/2  cup of butter 

- 2 eggs 

- 1/2 cup of can pumpkin (not the mix)

- 3 tsp vanilla

- 2 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/8 tsp ground allspice

- 1/8 tsp ground cloves

- pinch of ground cardamon 

- 1 1/3 cup finely chopped pecan

- 1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips

- 4 oz vanilla flavored candy coating (almond bark) chopped

I put a bunch of these pics through a weird filter

Procedure 

1- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

2- In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, eggs, butter, pumpkin, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.

3- Stir in flour, baking powder, and spices.

4- Stir in pecans and baking chips.

5- Drop the dough by tablespoon onto the cookie sheets.

6- Bake for 10- 20 min or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to the cooling rack. Cool 

completely, about 30 min.  

7-  Place the candy coating in a small resealable freezer plastic bag; seal the bag. Microwave on high for about one minute, or until softened. 

Oh ya so funny story I wuz trying to search for the almond bark at Fry's and I couldn't find it so I told the the person and he called customer service like TEN times but no one came but eventually I found it so its all good.

8- Gently squeeze the bag until  the coating is smooth. Cut off a tiny corner of the bag. Squeeze the bag to drizzle over the cookies. Let stand. 

Okay so this how it turns out .

It actually didn't take that long and it wuznt that hard... But they turn out awesome and They'r all festive and you should definitely try baking them

Four Quick Ways to Soften Butter

So the temperature of butter can be pretty important when it comes to baking. It plays a large role in the consistency of the final product. More than once have I messed up cookies by melting the butter when the recipe called for softened. And knowing me, I always forget to set out the butter ahead of time. You can always set them in the microwave for a few seconds but I hate how it turns out cold on the outside and melted on the inside. So here are three tips to avoid making the same mistake.



1- Cut the butter into chunks- Smaller chunks of butter will heat up quicker than one large piece, especially if placed near a heated area.
2- Pound the butter- Put the butter in a zip-lock back and use a rolling pin or a meat pounder to soften the butter, trust me this is way more fun than it sounds. Then let it get to room temp on the counter
3-  Set the butter over warm water- Ya this always works, the butter just heats right up. But keep a careful eye to prevent the butter from melting
4- Use a Cheese Grater- Its great for beating the butter ahead of time as well.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

So I didn't bake these this time, so I don't have pictures for you guys, but I'v made these before and they turn out awesome I promise.Well that's if its the recipe I used before :P I'm not sure, I just know its from allrecipies.com. So Just don't over bake, and also, feel free to substitute almond butter, it turns out great!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup unsalted butter

- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter

- 1 cup white sugar

- 1 cup packed brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Procedure:

1- Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and mix. Then beat in the eggs.

2- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir it into the batter and mix well. Then refrigerate for an hour. 

3- Roll into 1in balls and place on baking sheets. Flatten each with a fork ( you can dip it in milk ). Make criss-cross patterns with your fork. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for around 10 min. DONT OVERBAKE OKAY, EVEN IF IT SEEMS LIKE ITS NOT DONE, WAIT FOR IT TO COOL DOWN A LITTLE BEFORE BAKING IT MORE. so ya i made my point.

okay so this is basically how it turns out, its from the website

So isn't peanut butter like the best thing EVER. And ya hope it turns out great. See you next timeee

Apple Strudel Muffins

My mommy made these for breakfast and they tasted pretty good, so I decided to post the recipe. Sorry guys, I have a huge physics test tomorrow so I couldn't bake anything. I sorta stole her recipe but whatever...So here it is

Ingredients: 

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking powder 

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1 cup white sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 1/2 cups chopped apples

- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

- 1 tbs all purpose flour

- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1 tbs butter

Procedure:

1- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

2- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. 

3- In large bowl, beat the butter (1/2cup), white sugar, and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in the apples, and gradually blend the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. 

4- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan. 

5- Bake for around 20 minutes, and set it to cool down for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

6- Enjoy:) 

Peanut Butter Cup Sandwich Cookies

These treats are perfect for the holidays, and even better with a glass of milk:).

Ingredients:

Cookies

-1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3/4 cup unsalted, softened butter 

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 cups chopped peanut butter cups

Filling

- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

- 3/4 unsalted, softened butter

- 3/4 cup powdered sugar

- pinch of salt

Procedure:

Cookies

1- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3- In a larger bowl, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter until creamy.

4- Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture.

5- Stir in the peanut butter cups.

6- Drop the dough from tablespoons into the cookie sheets. Heat for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for around 4 min.

Filling

1- In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter until creamy and smooth. On a low speed, add the powdered sugar and salt. Beat until combined.

2-  Increase the speed to high, and beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

3- Take one cookie, and spread the frosting onto the flat side. Take another, and place on top, flat side down. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

If your dough is too warm, stick it in the fridge for a while. 

Enjoy:)

Microwave Fudge

Okay guys this recipe is super easy and quick like a four-year-old could figure this out. And it actually turns out pretty good. Well that's in my opinion. It's like super sweet so if you want, add less chocolate chips. I really don't know what else to say.....So here's the recipieee.

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup butter
- 3 cups chocolate chips
- 1 14 ounce can of condensed milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. Line an 8x8 bowl with aluminum foil. Spread it with cooking spray.

2. Pour the milk, chocolate chips, and the butter in a separate, microwavable bowl.

3. Set the bowl in the microwave for one minute. Then mix.

4. Set the bowl for another minute, then mix again. If needed, put it in for another minute, just make sure its all mixed in well.

5.  Add the vanilla extract and the salt into the bowl.

6. Pour the mixture into the 8x8 bowl. Refrigerate this for at least two hours.

7. Wait for it to be room temperature. Then enjoy:).



Lol so I didn't read the part about waiting two hours before eating....so I stayed up until 11..... andddd ya i fail. Don't do what I did guys.. Thanks for reading, byeeeeeee. 

Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles

Okay so this is one of those recipes that if you do everything carefully it will taste amazing, but be warned its really easy to mess up. The saffron is a major variable in itself.  This is one of the most expensive spices for a reason, its hard to find anything else like it. The taste can be overpowering so make sure not to add too much or too little.  Honestly the challenges were what made me actually want to try out this recipe:). Also, if u don't have half a vanilla bean ready, you can substitute by adding double the vanilla extract. Okay guys, ill shut up now. Good luck and hope it turns out great!

Ingredients:

-1/4 tsp of ground saffron

- 4 tbs milk

- 4 cups all purpose flour 

- 2 tsp baking soda 

- 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temp.

- 1 cup granulated white sugar 

- 1 cup of packed light brown sugar 

- 2 tsp salt 

- 2 egg, room temp.

-2 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1- Grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle until it becomes powdery. The finer the saffron, the richer it's color and taste will turn out.

2- Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and saffron in a small bowl. Microwave it for ten to twenty seconds. Cover and let steep for 10 min. The color should look like turmeric.

3- In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. 

4- In another bowl, beat the butter on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Mix well on low speed until well combined. Then mix again for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

5- Add the egg to the milk mixture and beat well.

So at this point you should have three separate bowls, the saffron milk, the flour, and the butter/ sugar.

6- Slowly add the milk mixture to the butter while beating on low speed. Then add the flour mixture, also at medium speed. At this point you should keep mixing until the batter is uniform. 

7- Scrape the dough into an airtight container, or form a disc shape and cover it with plastic wrap.

8- Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hrs and up to days.

9- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Form small balls with the dough and place them around 2 in apart on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake them for around 16 min, making sure to rotate them halfway. Ideally, they should turn out golden, but still slightly under cooked in the middle. Let them cool for ten minutes, then enjoy:)

Okay so I'm glad i didn't mess up. And also for the different shapes, my sister did that lol so yea. And honestly it tasted awesome. If you guys decide to bake these, comment how they turned out. Thanks for reading my post!:)