October | 2008 | Kitchenbelle

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (with or without mini chocolate chips)

Posted on October 12, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I am loving all things pumpkin these days–I just can’t get enough. Pumpkin candy, pumpkin cake, actual pumpkins in the natural state. Nothing says October like bright beautiful orange pumpkins and all of the spices that go along with them. Cloves. Nutmeg. Cinnamon. So delicious! And the smell in the house is incomparable!

These cookies are very chewy and delicious. They are so chewy I almost thought I under-cooked them. The currants add a very nice texture, and because they are smaller than raisins they are subtle. I added mini-chocolate chips to the second portion of the batter for a little melty surprise.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried currants
1 cup mini-chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Beat the butter and two sugars together until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and beat for about three minutes. In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Stir together dry ingredients together and then slowly add to the wet ingredients until just combined.

Fold currants (and chocolate chips if you are using them) into the batter. Use a tablespoon to drop the batter onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake about 13-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

Adapted from recipe found here on Simply Recipes.

Filed under: cookies, Dessert, Fall, pumpkin | 2 Comments »

Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cupcakes

Posted on October 11, 2008 by kitchenbelle

It happens sometimes. OK–I’ll be honest. It happens a lot. It doesn’t matter what time it is, how tired I am, whether we have to be somewhere or I have all the time in the world. Sometimes I get an urge to bake–an urge that won’t be ignored. I have to succumb! I don’t have a choice! And that is why tonight, at an odd and late hour, I made these molten cupcakes.

The recipe doesn’t indicate an approximate time for how long they should be baked. It simply says “Bake at 350 degrees until the sides of the cupcakes look firm and the centers are still soft.” I think I missed this by about 3 minutes. I put them in for 11 minutes. I should have taken them out but I thought they could use a little bit longer so I added an additional 2 minutes. (13 minutes total.) Next time I would keep a closer eye and take them out after about 10 minutes (total). I think that is the best way to ensure a nice drippy middle.

I think these are a perfect dinner party dessert. Serve warm out of the oven, individually plated with some ice cream and fresh berries. And maybe a sprig of mint. Yum! That is what I will do next time. But because there were no dinner party guests, there was no ice cream, no fresh berries, no mint, no frosting. Nope. Just me and my husband. We ate these tasty simple little cakes as you see them in the photo above–naked! (The cakes!!!)

Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 and 1/4 sticks butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan. (Use a double boiler if you wish, or just be very careful not to burn the chocolate.) Cool for five minutes.

In a large bowl beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. (About five minutes.)

Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate until fully incorporated. Fold in the sifted flour.

Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake until the sides of the cupcakes look firm but their centers are still soft. (About 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them!)

Remove from the oven. Cool for a few minutes then gently remove the liners. Serve warm with ice cream (or whipped cream) and fresh berries.

Adapted from recipe found in Crazy about Cupcakes by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

Filed under: chocolate, cupcakes, Dessert | 1 Comment »

Banana Nut Tart

Posted on October 9, 2008 by kitchenbelle

This tart is fantastic! I almost want to call it “Bananas Foster Tart.” It is rich and caramelly–yes–caramelly. (I am making up that word!) Make sure not to skip the step of roasting the nuts. Roasting for just a few minutes really bumps up the flavor (and aroma) factors. Eating is not just about taste. It is about the experience. The smell. The look. The texture. All of these factors contribute to the overall experience of the food. The roasted nuts add so much depth here, creating a wonderfully satisfying experience. This tart is such an indulgence!

Banana Nut Tart:

Crust

2 cups macadamia nuts, toasted
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups flour
8 oz. butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

8 tablespoons butter
4 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon nut flavored liquor
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, ripe

To make crust:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pulse nuts plus a pinch of the sugar in a food processor a few times. Add the remaining sugar and flour to the food processor. Continue to pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Pour flour/nut mixture into a large mixing bowl and add egg, softened butter, and vanilla. Mix carefully until fully incorporated. Divide the dough in half, wrapping each ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 20-30 minutes. (You will only need one ball of dough for this recipe. Freeze and save second ball for another occasion.)

Generously butter a 10 inch tart pan (with removable bottom). Be sure to get butter into all of the crevices! Place buttered tart pan in fridge until ready to use.

Once dough is chilled, remove one ball from fridge and use fingers to press dough into buttered chilled tart pan. Line shell with foil and top with pie weights. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

To make filling:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and then cool it to room temp. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, nut flavored liquor, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Add the cooled melted butter.

Assemble:

Peel and slice the bananas. Arrange the slices on top of the crust. Pour the filling over the bananas. Bake until filling is set–about 45-55 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Serve with whipped cream, if you wish!

Recipe copyright Roberta Dowling.

Filed under: banana, Dessert | 3 Comments »

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Posted on October 6, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I wanted to make something sweet and “fall-esque” for our family picnic/apple picking excursion. I found this whoopie pie recipe, and it peaked my curiosity. What an interesting spin on an old-fashioned treat! Who doesn’t love whoopie pies!? You can’t help but feel like a kid when you eat one. It’s tough to get your mouth around the top and the cream inevitably spurts out from the sides onto your lips and cheeks–it’s impossible to eat one neatly! I am so glad I made these because they were a hit! The pumpkin cakes are so fluffy and flavorful and the cream filling is sweet and delicious. My husband and family raved about these treats. My uncle even saved one to have with coffee for breakfast! I can certainly see these babies making another appearance at my table this season!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies:

Cakes

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin, canned or fresh roasted
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl and blend until well incorporated. Grease cookie sheets. Drop batter by tablespoon (all equal sizes) onto cookie sheets. Be sure to leave space between each–only six per cookie sheet–as these will spread while baking. (You will have to make these in batches.*) Bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire wrack.

*I think I made about 4 batches of 6. When you put the cakes together that gives you about 12 pies total. It depends, however, on how big you make your pies. Mine were on the larger size. You could make about double this number if you made them smaller.

Cream Filling**

3 heaping tablespoons marshmallow cream (Fluff)
1/2 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Combine all ingredients using an electric mixer until fully blended. Spread on one cooled cake and top with another.

**I made a double batch of the cream because one batch was far from enough. You too, may want to double the measurements provided here.

Recipe from Ellie Deaner. Cookbooks available for purchase here.

Filed under: Dessert, Fall, pumpkin | 2 Comments »

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

Posted on October 3, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I have had this recipe printed out and awaiting execution for a while now. I finally made it! One of the best parts of this dish is the wonderful shape of the macaroni. How couldn’t you love eating something that translates as “little ears?” These little discs (orecchiette) are nuggets of chewy deliciousness. And because I am a lover of all greens bitter (the more bitter the better) I truly enjoyed this dish. There is something so peasant-like about it. Very simple. Very nourishing. I like to imagine my ancestors in Italy feasting on this bowl of little ears!

One thing, however, I would suggest is to start with more garlic and more red pepper flakes. Also, I would add two cups of chicken broth for maximum tastiness!

Orecchettie with Broccoli Rabe:

1 /3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb. trimmed broccoli rabe
1 lb. dried orecchiette
2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cheese, freshly grated

In a large pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is tender. Set aside.

Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until just tender. Using tongs, lift out and transfer to the ice water to shock. Leave the pot of water over high heat. Drain the broccoli rabe well and squeeze gently to remove water. Chop into pieces.

Add the pasta to the boiling water used to cook the broccoli rabe, and cook until al dente or according to the package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, add the broccoli rabe to the pan holding the garlic. Return to medium heat, season generously with salt, pepper, additional red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is hot throughout. (This is where you may also add 2 cups of chicken broth.)

Look at those bright beautiful bitter greens! The sight of them makes me salivate!

Drain the pasta and return to the warm pot. Add the garlic/oil/rabe and incorporate with pasta. Top with grated cheese and serve.