Pumpkin Brownies

It might still be 90 degrees in Charlotte, but it's Fall, that time of year when everything comes up pumpkin. For example, while reading my People magazine (guilty pleasure) the other day, I found a recipe for The Cake Boss Buddy Valastro's "Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies."

I decided to try them out — minus the chocolate sauce, because my kids don't like frosting or icing. Plus, nine eggs, one and a half cups of butter and four cups of sugar make these brownies plenty sweet. In fact, the recipe called for four and a third cups of sugar and two and two thirds cups of butter, so I trimmed a bit. I also added a generous pinch of cloves, because you can't have pumpkin spices without the cloves.

The verdict: Pumpkin brownies deserve their place next to pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread and pumpkin beer. Yum!

Happy Fall, y'all!

XOXO,
Amy

Pumpkin Brownies
Adapted from The Cake Boss Buddy Valastro's recipe in the Sept. 26 issue of People magazine

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Generous pinch of ground cloves
9 large eggs
2 (15 ounce) cans plain pumpkin puree
4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Equipment note: This recipe makes two 9X12 pans of brownies! The batter barely fit in the bowl of my KitchenAid blender and some of it was sloshing out. Next time I will use a hand mixer and my largest bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and next five ingredients. Set flour mixture aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and pumpkin on medium speed until combined. Beat in sugar.

With mixer running, add in the melted butter in a steady stream. Next, gradually add in the flour mixture, stopping now and then to scrape the sides of the bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Lightly grease two 9X12 baking pans and divide the batter between the two. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean.

Chia Seed Pudding

Chia seeds are rocking my world these days.

After finding a warehouse-club sized tub of them in my pantry, I needed to find a way to use them up. My husband was adding the nutritious seeds to smoothies for awhile, but lately this jar was just taking up space.

Not anymore.

A Facebook post from a friend was the first I'd heard about chia pudding and I was definitely curious. I had no idea that chia seeds bloom into a tapioca-like concoction when soaked in almond or coconut milk. Food & Wine magazine dishes up lots of chia seed recipes, so I got to experimenting.

The longer the pudding sets, the thicker it will get. Do let it chill for at least 3 or 4 hours. The pudding keeps well for about 3 days in the refrigerator.

Chia seed pudding makes a filling breakfast or snack and a yummy sweet dessert. Chia seeds are packed with fiber, protein and calcium, too.

My favorite is the simplest: chia seeds, light vanilla almond milk and honey.

You can definitely get creative here. Please let us know how you do chia seed pudding.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

P.S. Need other ideas for cooking with chia seeds? They taste great in these no-bake granola bars, too.

P.S.S. Be sure to use almond milk that does not contain carrageenan, a thickening agent which can irritate digestion in some people.

Chai Spiced Chia Seed Pudding
1 1/4 cups coconut milk (light or full fat) or almond milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Cover with an air tight lid or transfer to bowl with an air tight lid. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to overnight, stirring occasionally.

Serve chilled with blackberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Granola would be nice on top, too.

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding
2 cups almond milk (any variety. I use light vanilla)
1/2 cup chia seeds
3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add all ingredients to medium bowl. Stir to combine.  Cover with an air tight lid or transfer to bowl with an air tight lid. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to overnight, stirring occasionally.

Top with fruit and/or nuts. I used dried cranberries and candied walnuts.

Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding
2 cups almond milk (any variety. I use light vanilla)
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chia seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover with an air tight lid or transfer to bowl with an air tight lid. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to overnight, stirring occasionally.

Serve chilled with pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon. A dollop of whipped cream wouldn't hurt, either!

Pasta with Sausage, Sage & Pumpkin

A bit before Thanksgiving, I vaguely remember hearing some news stories about a pumpkin shortage.

I live near a Libby's pumpkin packing plant and short of storming the castle, I stocked up at my local grocery store. I had visions of baking gorgeous loaves of pumpkin bread for everyone on my holiday list. Now that we've had our fill of pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, my pantry still is full of canned pumpkin (10 cans, to be exact)  – and I'm looking for new ways to use it.

Pumpkin is especially good in savory dishes. It goes well with pork, and stands out in Pumpkin and Ricotta Pasta Bake and Pumpkin Black Bean Chili.

After staring at my pumpkin-filled pantry, hoping for a sign from the culinary Gods, I opened the freezer. A few packages of Italian sausage in there. A check of the fridge revealed a carton with a bit of remaining cream and a few bottles of white wine. Yay! So here we go.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Pasta with Sausage, Sage & Pumpkin

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (use ground or thinly sliced links, or you can remove the meat from the casings)
4 cloves or 4 teaspoons of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons (about 6 sprigs) sage leaves, cut into thin strips
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente
Shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
Additional sage leaves, sliced

*Note: if you want to leave out the wine, replace it with chicken stock.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown. Remove sausage from skillet and let it drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Drain drippings from pan and return pan to heat.

Add 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and onion. Cook until onion is tender.  Add bay leaf, sage and wine to the skillet and cook until the wine is reduced by about half. Scrape up any browned bits in the pan while cooking. Add chicken stock and pumpkin and cook until bubbly.

Add sausage to the sauce, reduce the heat and add the cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove bay leaf.

Put pasta back into the pot you cooked it in and pour the pumpkin sauce on top. Gently stir to combine.

Place pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Generously stop with parmesan cheese and more sage leaves.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

I loved experimenting with pumpkin in a savory recipe when I made Pumpkin Black Bean Chili, but I had to return to my first pumpkin love: pumpkin muffins. Scented with warm spices and studded with mini chocolate chips, these muffins will brighten up even the dreariest fall morning.

And if you haven't reached pumpkin overload yet, check out these pumpkin recipes, too:

• Pumpkin Spice Granola
• Low-Fat Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• Pumpkin and Ricotta Pasta
• Gooey Pumpkin Bars
• Pumpkin Streusel Cake 

Aren't you glad it's pumpkin season?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
Makes 48 mini muffins
Adapted from this pumpkin bread recipe

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt**
2/3 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a mini muffin tin*** and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, stir together sugar, brown sugar, eggs, egg whites, oil, yogurt, water, and pumpkin. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill prepared mini muffin tins so each cup is full to the top. Bake for about 14 minutes, until the muffins spring back when you gently press down the top or a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely

Notes:
*If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, don't let that stop you from making this recipe! You can absolutely substitute all-purpose flour. (Use 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour.)
**I used non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt because that's what I found in my fridge. Feel free to use regular (non-Greek) yogurt or plain yogurt in place of the vanilla Greek yogurt.
***Not in the mood for mini-muffins? This recipe makes 24 standard muffins or two loaves of bread if you prefer. Bake standard muffins for 23-25 minutes and bread for about 1 hour.


P.S. This recipe is linked on the Archives Friday link party!

Gooey Pumpkin Bars

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Does this make you feel:

a.) Excited. I love Thanksgiving! I've had my menu planned since July, ordered a heritage bird from the market, and created shopping lists based on the ad flyers from four different stores.
b.) Uncertain. Seriously? Thanksgiving? I'm still recovering from Halloween. I guess I'd better call my mom to make sure she's willing to host again this year.
c.) Terrified. I am not ready for this. I am not ready for this. I am not ready for this...

No matter how you answered, I've got a recipe that will have you shaking your tailfeather at the thought of Thanksgiving. Gooey Pumpkin Bars are delicious, indulgent, and the perfect alternative to pumpkin pie.

Eschew your rolling pin and pull together a tender crust using--get this--cake mix. (I won't tell your mother-in-law.) The rich pumpkin filling is extra creamy from the addition of cream cheese. And perhaps the best part? You only dirty one bowl.  

Thanksgiving? We've got this in the bag.

Gooey Pumpkin Bars
Adapted from The Lady & Sons

Crust
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
Pinch ground cloves*
2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
Pecans and whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13" x 9" baking dish.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick butter. Mix until well combined. Press into the bottom of prepared baking dish and set aside.

In the same mixing bowl (don't bother washing it), beat cream cheese until smooth and a bit fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Beat in remaining 3 eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, and spices on medium low until everything is well combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all the cream cheese is incorporated and mix for another few seconds. Add in powdered sugar and beat until it's incorporated. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in remaining 1 stick melted butter and mix well.

Pour filling on top of unbaked crust and spread it out evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the center is just a tiny bit gooey and wiggly. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares. If desired, garnish with pecans and whipped cream.

*Feel free to substitute 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice for the spices listed here.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Happy Halloween!

Where I grew up in Buffalo, trick-or-treating always took place after dark on Halloween night. Every year I dressed as either a princess or an old lady. The old lady costume was much more practical in the cold climes of my hometown; an ancient fur coat and hat plus a ratty grey wig meant I didn't have to cover my costume with my winter parka and beanie.

The best part of Halloween was obviously the candy. After hours ringing doorbells and scouring the neighborhood for the house handing out king-sized confections, our pillowcases were stuffed with hundreds of treats. My brother, sister, and I would dump our goodies on the floor at home, sort them out, and begin to barter. Johnny would gladly trade his chocolate for SweeTarts. Katy and I would do anything for a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup. And then we would eat candy until we passed out in a sugar-induced coma.

Today we're going to make something salty to balance all of that sweetness: Spiced Pumpkin Seeds. Save the seeds when you're carving your pumpkin tonight and you'll be halfway to this savory treat. Toss them together with some butter and a few spices, and bake until the seeds are toasted and crisp.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds*
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss seeds with butter, salt, chili powder, and cumin until they're evenly coated. Spread into a single layer on a rimmed baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until seeds are toasted and crisp, stirring halfway through.

*When you've collected the seeds from your pumpkin, rinse off all of the stringy stuff and pat the seeds dry.

{Low Fat} Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Have you looked at Pinterest lately? It's like the entire website rolled in cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and labeled itself Pumpkin Spice Pinterest. And Twitter? Uh...#pumpkinspice.

When Starbucks rolled out the Pumpkin Spice Latte this fall, they ushered in pumpkin themed deliciousness all over the world wide web. Well, I'm jumping right on that bandwagon. I was going to give these breakfast treats the unassuming title "Pumpkin Muffins," but no. They have spices in them, so I thereby declare them Pumpkin Spice Muffins.

I don't have the skills to paint my nails ombre, but this is the kind of trend I can get on board with.

{Low Fat} Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Adapted from this pumpkin bread recipe.
Makes 24 muffins

Muffins:
3 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt
2/3 cup water
15 ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. In a separate bowl, mix together granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, egg whites, oil, yogurt, water, and pumpkin puree. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until everything is incorporated. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon to make the topping. Generously sprinkle the muffin batter with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake muffins for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove muffins to finish cooling on a rack.