homemade pumpkin pop tarts w/ buttermilk glaze

"crack tarts" that's really what these should be called as they are hard to put down and walk away from. These were just lovely to make. They lasted a mere day in the house--record breaking. I will admit they were time consuming, but oh so worth the effort. In reality what perfect tasting pastry isn't very time consuming? The expressions on people's faces when they bit into them for the first time--oh how I wish I could just bottle that up. My favorite part? Those crispy, buttery, sugary edges! Whoa Nelly those are addicting. One could easily just make "edges", sell them and make millions. You know?



I have to say I am not good at measuring out the dough into rectangles. You need a ruler and stuff for that. Did I follow it? Of course not! I had to go my own dysfunctional way. But they still came out mighty fine. Other notes: of course I did some changes, you'll see them in colored parenthesis. The original recipe comes from King Arthur, I think. Always keep that dough nice and cold.






Pumpkin pie pop tarts with buttermilk glaze
Adapted from joy the baker & king arthur flour
print recipe

For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes (I used a cheese grater)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, beaten (for brushing the dough)

For the Filling:
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1 large egg (plus 1 large egg yolk)
(1 ts cornstarch)
1/8 ts ground cloves (I omitted)
1/4 ts ground ginger (I omitted)
1/2 ts cinnamon (I used 1 full teaspoon)
(Dash or 2 of pumpkin pie seasoning)
1/4 ts salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Buttermilk Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 (plus or minus depending on thick or thin you want glaze) cup buttermilk
Dash or 3 of cinnamon
Dash or 2 of sea salt

For the crust:
I like to use a cheese grater on my butter, keep it in the freezer until ready to use. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together. In a food processor, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add in the cold butter, pulse until you have nice crumbles. Pulse in the beaten egg with milk until just mixed—no overmixing! Lightly dust a clean counter with flour and knead the dough on the floured counter for a few turns until it really starts to come together. Divide the dough in two, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling:
In a bowl mix all of the ingredients, well. Store in fridge till ready to use.

Assembly:
This next part is where you need to pay attention; I was horrible at this. Get your baking pans ready (2 – 3 pans) by lining with parchment paper, set aside. On a well floured work surface, press dough into a 3x5-inch rectangle, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness. The dough should be slightly larger than 9x12-inches. Trim dough with a pizza cutter, creating a rectangle that is 9-inches tall and 12-inches long. Using the pizza cutter, cut each side into thirds, creating 9 squares. Place dough squares in the fridge while you roll out the second piece of dough in the same way.

Brush one set of 9 squares with beaten egg. This will act as the glue for the top layer of dough. Spoon about one tablespoon of pie filling into the center of each brushed dough square. Top with a piece of dough and use a floured fork to crimp the sides closed. Use the tines of the fork to create vent holes in each tart. Recipe from dawn finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Place the pan in the fridge to let it get firm again; you don’t want to bake these with warm dough, they won’t crisp up. Keep in fridge at least 30 minutes. When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the tops and edges are nice and golden brown. Cool tarts on wire racks. You can let them cool before glazing or not, I didn’t wait. But if you glaze them straight away, you do need to let the glaze harden before serving.

For the buttermilk glaze:
Make sure to sift the powdered sugar, you don’t want any lumps in the glaze. Mix all the glaze ingredients really well and apply with a spoon over the racks. Let glaze dry on the tarts before devouring.

halloween candy bundt cake

This isn't the fanciest of posts, but the photo was kind of wild and funky--the colors and all. I had crazy amounts of halloween candy leftover! Not knowing how much to get this year because we are living in a new area, I, of course over-bought AND OVER ATE. I tweeted that I was finished polishing off the peanut M&M's and was going to move onto the Twix.
I did not have dinner Halloween night but am certain I ate a few cups of candy. I had to take probiotics yogurt an hour after. LOL
As of today, the halloween candy, just like Elvis has left the building.

A good friend of mine Scary Mommy said on twitter yesterday: "&#$%@ Halloween Candy!" I couldn't agree more, and I am so glad it's all gone. Now we have to deal with the eating festivities of thanksgiving and christmas. One down, two to go....

If you have leftover candy and want to make a fun bundt cake then head over to Cathy of Noble Pig for the recipe.
I added on a white chocolate ganache to the top of mine.

white chocolate-pumpkin pound cake

The winner of the Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented is Liz of Little Bitty Bakes. Congrats Liz, this is a stellar cookbook!! I wish I had more to give away, I really do. I had so many comments, and I could tell you all wanted to win this. Let's do more giveaways....I will make this happen. Promise.
As for this pound cake, well it's interesting.

As I've stated before I am not a huge pumpkin fan. So if you like the taste of pumpkin this maybe be the loaf for you--it's very pumpkin-ey if that's a word. The white chocolate middle is very delicate, not overly sweet at all; overall loaf is very mild, hence the reason I put the nutella-cream cheese frosting on there. Lately I've been really drawn to nutella.....have you seen those super sized jars of it they sell in the grocery stores? I got one! Seriously. What have you baked with Nutella? Possibilities are endless aren't they? Sorry the photo isn't that bright...we've had nothing but rain and dark gloomy days here on cape cod.

white chocolate-pumpkin pound cake
by dawn finicane
print recipe

3 large eggs and 2 egg yolks, room temp
2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup high quality white chocolate (like Valrhona)
1 stick of salted butter, melted
¾ cup white sugar
1 huge pinch of sea salt
A couple dashes of cinnamon
½ can of pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin not flavored)
2 TB canola oil
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter and dust with flour a rectangular pound cake pan.
Melt the butter, let it cool slightly.
In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; then sift and set aside.
Mix the sugar, canola oil and eggs with stand mixer until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in batches (of three) until just combined. Don’t over mix.
Separate the batter in 2/3 and 1/3. We are going to add the pumpkin puree to the 2/3 batter by just folding it in; we don’t want to over mix at this point.

Place the white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and let simmer until the chocolate is melted. Add this melted chocolate to the 1/3 batter. You have to work quickly as the white chocolate does not stay melted for long.
Pour half the pumpkin batter into the pan, then pour in the white chocolate batter making sure to keep this batter in the middle, not to let it go to the sides so the nice swirl stays even in the middle. Recipe by dawn Finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Pour the remaining pumpkin batter on the top. You may have to use your fingers to push the batter down, as the batter is quite thick.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (mine was done at the 40 minute mark). Remove from the oven. Let cool before frosting.
If you wish to frost this (some say it was good without the frosting) all I did was add a block of 8 ounces of room temp cream cheese to about ½ (or more) of Nutella. Mix really well and frost.

pumpkin cheesecake w/ nutella ganache

When you go to bed at night, as soon as you hit the pillow, do you get all these pop up bubbles of thoughts of the day of what you didn't do or what you should have done? I hate that. Well, most nights I hate that. But last night I didn't hate. The perfect pop up bubble on how to make this cheesecake (2 tries) become better.
When I first made this cheesecake days ago I just wasn't happy with the ganache--it wasn't nutella-ly enough. And after days of trying to figure out what to do to change it before I posted it, it finally hit me in a pop up bubble last night (just after watching Top Chef Desserts too). I realized the chocolate I used was too strong; I should have used a milk chocolate instead of a bittersweet chocolate. So keep that in mind should you want to make this. A couple notes on this cheesecake. I am not a big fan of pumpkin cake or pie. So this cheesecake has a very mild pumpkin flavor; I used very little pumpkin spice flavoring and more cinnamon. But feel free to adjust however you like it--for some it might be too mild for you.



I am back to kind of loving Top Chef Desserts. Well, I was really happy that Yigit won last night. I just love him--he's so cute, so adorable, not to mention super talented. Did you also see that a Top Chef All Stars is coming? I wish Bravo would think about doing a "common Joe" type Top Chef for amateurs with mad skills. It would fly, I know it would. I should pitch that shouldn't I? They they'd listen? Eh.

pumpkin cheesecake w/ nutella ganache
recipe by dawn finicane
print recipe

crust
1- 10 oz box of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies, crushed fine (I used all 2 sleeves)
1 stick salted butter, melted
Tiny pinch of sea salt
1 ts vietnamese cinnamon

cheesecake filling
4 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temp
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup heavy cream (maybe a little less)
3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks
1 cup plus 3 TB pumpkin puree
1 ts of pure vanilla extract
1 ts cinnamon
Couple dashes of pumpkin pie spice mix (use as much as you like; I’m not fond of it, so I used very little)

Nutella ganache
½ cup (maybe a little more) of milk chocolate chips
4 TB nutella spread
A couple of splashes of heavy cream
2 TB room temp salted butter

cook notes:
as I said above I should have used the milk chocolate chips instead of the bittersweet chips. I truly think the milk chocolate will meld better with the nutella. Depending on how thick or thin you like your Ganache use more or less of the heavy cream. This makes a lot of crust for the 10-inch pan, but I like to have it thick, so if you don’t like it thick you could probably halve it. But with the remaining leftover crust I just put it in a bag and freeze or make a mini cheesecake. There will also be leftover cheesecake batter—haven’t figured out how to scale it down yet. But with the leftover crust and batter you can easily make 2 mini cheesecakes if you have the mini springform pans. Also, I do not have a mixer, I know, everyone always ask how I do it, but I do, been that way for decades. So I just use a food processer, works perfectly. But use what you feel comfortable with.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a measuring cup, crack open the eggs and egg yolks, set aside until ready to use.
Spray a 10-inch springform pan with non stick spray. In a food processor grind up the cookies into a fine crumb. In a bowl, combine the cookies, a pinch of salt, and the melted butter. Mix, then press into the bottom and partially up the sides of the springform pan. (I use a flat bottomed glass to press it in evenly). Note: there will be some crumbs leftover; I normally use more crumbs than the average cheesecake because I love a thick crumb.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is just lightly brown around the edges, set aside and let cool. Reduce the oven heat to 300°F.
In a bowl combine the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract until mixed well, set aside. I used my food processor to make the cheesecake batter—I suppose you could use a mixer, but I don’t have one. With the food processor, mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and lump free. Add in the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the eggs one at a time until all is mixed well; add in the heavy cream. Then add in the pumpkin puree mix slowly. Process until all is well mixed.

baking:
Most people like to do a water bath for their cheesecake. I never do, I find all too annoying. But if you want to do this please feel free; it’s best to bake your cheesecake how ever you feel most comfortable.
I baked this cheesecake at 300°F for one hour and a half; turned off oven and left it alone for a couple hours. By then your middle should be nice and set. Recipe & photos by Dawn Finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Just before you’re ready to serve this, add on the Ganache. The cheesecake tastes best when the Ganache is nice and warm.

to make ganache:
Over low heat, melt the milk chocolate chips with the nutella, and a few splashes of heavy cream. To get it nice and glossy, just keep stirring being careful not let chocolate burn. Once it’s all melted and combined add in the 2 TB of salted butter to get it nice and glossy. Pour Ganache over the top of cheesecake or over individual slices.

new york style crumb cake and a giveaway

I was thrilled to bits, no thrilled to the moon when the new Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented arrived from the publishers. Even more thrilled that they sent me an extra copy. It is so time for a giveaway! I love to share happy happy good things.
I have to say a HUGE congrats to Matt & Renato on their second book. As soon as I opened the book, going straight to the back index to see the list of recipes first, I instantly grabbed my cell phone to send Matt a text at how AMAZING this new book was, how I love it way more than the first book but in a progressive-honest way. I mean seriously this second cookbook is really packed with a whole new family of sweet treats. Later I asked a friend if it was rude to say to Matt that the second book is better than the first--she said no; be careful how you word it though. True, because their first book had me hooked and to be honest their second book is amazing. Some people when they do a second book it doesn't measure up to the first. You think second books, they should should be as good as if not better than the first book; more recipes along the same lines as the first book but better. You with me? This second book they made recipes based on perfect food combinations--food combo's you WANT to eat/devour; recipes that foodies like us can truly use; actual recipes you want to make, and/or use for entertaining. Another excellent feature of their book, just like the first book is it's user friendly, very easy to follow along and make at home. Nothing too fancy or too unusual to do or buy. A few of their recipes? Like baked cheese grits, malted waffles, almond joy tart! Are you kidding? They speak my language! Wait till you see the photographs. There is this one photograph of a cake called "caramel apple cake". The cake is apple, it's thick and the frosting is caramel buttercream. Ohhh please. But the photo is so perfect; I need to learn how to frost the cake just like that. Then there is this recipe for chocolate-peanut butter fondue--this is what I will eat with a spoon, period.
There is also a recipe for chocolate coffee cake with dark chocolate ganche. Hello? Where do I begin on this one? I don't know how many more times I have to ask Matt to marry me before he says yes. Ha ha! Last winter I remember Matt telling me how he was secluded in a kitchen baking and testing away, and how tired he was. Well Matt it truly paid off. This book is a winner--I'm so happy for you and Renalto. Congrats my friend.
If you want to try and win this cookbook, just leave me a comment before October 27, 2010. Tell me what are your favorite cookbooks of all time? I draw one name on October 27, 2010. Good luck!
**And if you win, do you promise the book will go to a good home? You promise to love, honor and cherish it? **

new york style crumb cake
Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
print recipe

Crumb topping
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted, and warm
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
¾ ts baking powder
½ ts salt
12 TB unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sour cream
1 ts pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the rack in the center. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass 9 x 13-inch pan. You can use a metal pan, but the edges of the cake may turn crispy (although that is not traditional, it is not an altogether bad thing).

Make the crumb topping
In a medium bowl, stir together both sugars, the salt and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Fold in the flour until it is absorbed and set the mixture aside.

Prepare the Cake
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.
Using electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy; add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, beating just until incorporated after each addition.

Assemble the cake
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spread batter evenly. Use your hands to scoop up a handful of the topping and make a fist. The topping should hold together. Break off in chunks and drop them over cake. Repeat to use all the topping. Remember the topping with look very thick.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Rotate the pan two times during the baking process. Cool entire pan on wire rack for about 30 minutes before devouring.
The cake will last 3 days, tightly covered, at room temperature.