Dulce De Leche Pumpkin Cupcakes

I made these for Halloween this year. I just randomly looked for a pumpkin cupcake recipe online and found this one. They are SO DELICIOUS. Even without the dulce de leche filling - I made a mini batch without the filling and they were equally as tasty.

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Dulce De Leche Pumpkin Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
7.5 ounces pureed pumpkin

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Once cooled, using the cone method, fill each cupcake with a dollop of dulce de leche and frost with dulce de leche buttercream. If desired, decorate cupcake with spiderweb design using 3 tablespoons chocolate chips melted together with 1/4 teaspoon shortening.


Dulce De Leche
Adapted from Recipe Girl
Makes just enough to fill cupcakes and use in frosting

Ingredients
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
boiling water

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Open up the can and pour the sweetened-condensed milk into a pie pan. Cover tightly with foil. Place into a larger pan and pour boiling water in larger pan & around pie plate (level of water should be about halfway up the pie plate). Don’t let any water seep up and into the pie plate.

Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. At the one hour point, peel off foil and check for progress. If the mixture has thickened and turned a caramelly color, it’s done. If it doesn’t quite look thick enough or dark enough, cover it up and bake it a little longer (mine took 75 minutes).

When the mixture appears to have turned into a nice, thick caramel, remove from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes, and then beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Dulce De Leche Buttercream
Adapted from Joy The Baker
Makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons prepared dulce de leche

Method
Cream together softened butter and powdered sugar on low using an electric mixer. Add cream and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth and no lumps appear. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the prepared dulce de leche and beat to incorporate.

Bacon Mac

I made this for my second (of four) Thanksgiving this year. You can tell it's "light", but it's pretty good.

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Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients
3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.

2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories:399
Fat:13.8g (sat 8.5g,mono 4g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:20g
Carbohydrate:48.7g
Fiber:2g
Cholesterol:44mg
Iron:2.1mg
Sodium:544mg
Calcium:358mg

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2009

Homemade Samoas

I haven't made this recipe myself yet but enjoyed the outcome at a book club meeting earlier this week. They are better than the real thing!

Homemade Samoas Bars

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Ginger Cookies

Mariposa decided to start a new Christmas tradition: the cookie contest. I intend to win with this entry.


Shown on the cover of the November 1998 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, these cookies prompted scores of calls from readers saying they were the best ginger cookies ever.

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup course sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat shortening for 30 seconds. Add the 2 cups granulated sugar; beat until combined. Beat in eggs and molasses until combined. Beat in half of the flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour mixture. Using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop, shape dough into 2-inch balls; roll in the coarse sugar. Place balls 2 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until cookies are light brown and puffed. Do not overbake or cookies will not be chewy. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; cool. Makes 25 4-inch cookies.

Hillary's alterations:
1. Double the amount of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. I like spicier cookies.
2. Make smaller cookies rather than big ones. They don't flatten well on their own, so you get small poofed up balls. If you do want flatter cookies, pre-flatten.
3. This recipe makes A LOT of cookies. Halving it still gives you a good number of cookies, especially if you make them smaller.

Iced Pumpkin Cake

BATTER:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c. salad oil
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all dry ingredients.
Add eggs in one at a time.
Then add in remaining ingredients.
Beat for 5 minutes.
Bake in greased & floured tube pan.
Check cake with a toothpick after 45 minutes (may take up to 1.5 hrs).
Let cake cool in the pan then release the cake, allowing to cool completely before icing

ICING:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 stick butter
• 1 box (1 lb) confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Cream, using the beater attachment, the cream cheese & butter.
Slowly add the confectioner's sugar allowing time for the sugar to mix in.
Cream together completely, then whip the icing to lighten it up*

*If needed, add milk until the icing reaches spreading consistency.

From: Madelyn Shedd (HMS 2007)

MOM CANTEY'S FRUIT COBBLER

I had another request for the cobbler, so I thought I would put it on the blog.

MOM CANTEY’S FRUIT COBBLER Vera Cantey
WINNER IN GOOD MORNING AMERICA’S EMERIL’S COMFORT FOOD FOR THE COAST CONTEST

Filling
4 cups fruit
½ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Prepare fruit as appropriate. Put prepared fruit into 8x8 baking dish. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over fruit.

Crust
1 stick, softened butter
1-cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1-cup self-rising flour

Mix butter and sugar. Stir in egg; gradually add flour and mix well. The mixture will have a consistency between that of heavy cake batter and light biscuit dough. Drop spoonfuls on top of fruit. The topping will spread out as it cooks. Bake at 325 degrees until light brow and the topping doesn’t shake - usually 45-50 minutes. (Could take as long as an hour) Test the same as you would a cake. Straw needs to come out clean.

When doubled this recipe works well in a 10.5x14.75 (4 quart) Pyrex baking dish. Topping may take longer as it’s crowded in. It will take 2 hours to bake. Test at 1 hr and 45 minutes.

If you are using frozen fruit, for single recipe – use 2 one-pound bags; for double recipe – use 3-4 pounds, depending on how juicey the fruit is. Any fruit will work. I’ve been told that canned peaches works too.

Sausage Brunch Casserole

This is a Casserole a co-worker shared with me. We loved it this past Christmas and was a true hit - nothing healthy about it - but so good. Really good after a night of drinking! When you just have that need for sausage, eggs, cheese and crescent rolls....mmmm.....

Sausage Brunch Casserole
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 30 MinutesYields: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds ground pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup sharp cheddar
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp ground mustard
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Lay crescent rolls flat in the bottom of the pan. Combine cooked sausage, cheese, eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper; pour over crescent rolls.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until bubbly and rolls are baked.