Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies

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Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I liked the soft cakey texture of these cookies but decided to depart from the original recipe by putting the spices on the outside of the cookies rather than incorporated into the pumpkin flavored cookie dough. I think this helps the pumpkin flavor and gives a little extra texture to the outside of the cookies as well.

These are quite delicious all on their own but I do love pairing aromatic spices with chocolate so I also made half the batch sandwiched together with some easy chocolate ganache...scrumptious!

I'd never frozen these cookies before but did stick some in the freezer to test them They have been there for a week now and as of this morning they thawed well and the kids say they taste yummy, so I'll call that a success.

Soft Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Ganache Cookies

Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies - soft pumpkin cookies rolled in spiced sugar. Absolutely delicious with or without the chocolate ganache to sandwich them together.

Prep time: About 1 hour 10 minutes, including time to chill the dough.
Cook time: 10 minutes per tray
Total time: About 1 1/2 hours
Yield: About 3 dozen cookies or 1 1/2 dozen sandwich cookies.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canola oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin puree; NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• FOR THE SPICED SUGAR
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
• 2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup whipping cream

Directions

1. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the oil, butter, sugar, icing sugar and vanilla for a few minutes.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Mix in the pumpkin puree.
5. Slowly fold in the flour and baking powder mixture until a soft dough forms.
6. Chill the dough for at least an hour.
7. Mix together the 1/2 cup of sugar and all the spices.
8. Roll the dough in 1 1/4 inch balls, then roll them into the spiced sugar.
9. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart and press down with the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten slightly.
10. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F for 8 - 10 minutes or until the cookies start to turn brown at the edges and spring back when pressed at the center.
11. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Sandwich together with a spoonful of chocolate ganache if desired.
12. To make the chocolate ganache simply melt together the whipping cream and chocolate in a double boiler being careful not to overheat it. Stir the whole time while the chocolate is melting and as soon as it is smoothly melted, remove it immediately from the heat.

Chocolate Bumbleberry Crepes - Our 850th Recipe!!

Chocolate Bumbleberry Crepes

Don't be scared of crepes. They are really simple to make and their intimidation factor is ill deserved. I think their fussy reputation may have originated before the Teflon revolution when they may have been more difficult to prepare. Today, with any good non-stick pan in hand they really are a breeze. The batter is very simple and the only difference in the batter for me is the omission of the small amount of sugar when using them in savoury rather than sweet applications. They are still a little labour intensive because they have to be prepared one at a time but when you present your friends and family with this beautiful dessert, the time spent making them will seem well worth it.

Crepes

Sift together and set aside:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together:

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Whisk the dry ingredients into the milk and egg mixture until smooth.

Heat an 8 inch non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly oil the pan. I just use some paper towel dipped in vegetable oil to wipe the pan between crepes.

When the pan is heated ladle in 1/4 cup of batter for each crepe. Swirl the pan around to cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of the batter. Cook for only a minute or two per side until golden. Separate the crepes with parchment or waxed paper as you continue to fry the rest of the batch.

Fill the crepes with whipped ganache filling, roll and serve with bumbleberry compote over the top. Strawberry, raspberry or cherry compote all work well too if you prefer. Makes about one dozen crepes.

Whipped Ganache

To prepare the filling, melt together in a double boiler

3 cups dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup whipping cream

Stir constantly over a gentle simmer in the double boiler, just until melted and smooth throughout. You do not want this mixture to get hot, it should be just at the melting point and only lukewarm to the touch.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whip to firm peaks:

2 cups whipping cream.

Add the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture in four portions, folding gently after each addition until the whipped cream is completely incorporated into the chocolate. 

At this point you will probably have to chill this frosting for a half hour or more in the fridge if it is too soft to work with. Just give it a quick fold with a rubber spatula every 10 minutes so that it cools evenly in the fridge.

Bumbleberry Compote

Bring to a gentle boil for 10 minutes:

4 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries, ( I used blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and cherries)

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

Thicken the compote with a slurry made my mixing together:

1 1/2 tbsp corn starch

1/4 cup water

Add the slurry, stirring constantly and cook for only an additional minute before removing from the heat and allowing to cool completely.

Chocolate Pavlova Layer Cake

Chocolate Pavlova Layer Cake

I put together this incredible cake for a morning coffee at the office where we said so long to a work colleague who is heading off to teach in South Korea. Bon Voyage Amber! I actually doubled this recipe to produce a large 10 inch 4 layer cake which served about 40 or more people.

This cake really does make an impression but is probably much easier to make than you might think. The cake is a simple one-bowl scratch cake which gets filled with a very easy to make whipped ganache frosting. If you can whip egg whites and turn on the oven, you are already half way to making the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate meringues which get added between the cake layers.

Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup soured milk (just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or plain vinegar to a cup of milk)
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. When completely cooled, split the two layers into four with a sharp serrated bread knife.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

To prepare the filling, melt together in a double boiler

3 cups dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup whipping cream

Stir constantly over a gentle simmer in the double boiler, just until melted and smooth throughout. You do not want this mixture to get hot, it should be just at the melting point and only lukewarm to the touch.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whip to firm peaks:

2 cups whipping cream.

Add the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture in four portions, folding gently after each addition until the whipped cream is completely incorporated into the chocolate. 

At this point you will probably have to chill this frosting for a half hour or more in the fridge if it is too soft to work with. Just give it a quick fold with a rubber spatula every 10 minutes so that it cools evenly in the fridge.

Chocolate Meringues

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup fine granulated sugar
1tsp vanilla extract

Whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks and gradually add the sugar slowly, whipping until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pinch the meringue between your fingertips to feel that all of the sugar granules have completely dissolved.

Sift together:

1 1/2 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp cocoa

Sprinkle over the meringue mixture and fold in until completely incorporated along with:

1 tsp white vinegar

This step helps a crisp crust to form on the meringue. Drop the meringue in two halves  onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and spread it out into two 9 inch circles.

Bake for  about 1 hour or until small cracks appear in the meringue. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven.

To construct the cake, lay the first of 4 layers of cake onto the serving plate. Cover with a thin layer of the chocolate filling then add one of the meringues and another thin layer of filling before adding the second layer of cake. The middle layer just gets topped with the chocolate filling. Add the next layer of cake, a thin layer of whipped ganache, the second meringue, another thin layer of whipped ganache and the final layer of cake before topping with the last of the whipped ganache. Garnish with melted chocolate and berries if desired.

Brownie Cheesecake

Brownie Cheesecake

I've tried a few brownie cheesecakes in my day and experimented with making several. Sometimes with a brownie base, sometimes with chunks of brownie baked into the cheesecake itself. My final version of this recipe settled on a chocolate cookie crumb base, to add a little crunch to this cheesecake. 

I chose to bake little bite size brownies to top the cake in order to preserve their chewy, fudgy texture. I found baking them into the cheesecake resulted in them only sinking to the bottom anyway and I like this presentation much better. The creaminess of a perfectly baked cheesecake is also maintained and the mix of textures and flavors is simply outstanding in this amazing dessert.

A word about baking a cheesecake in a bain marie before starting the recipe. A bain marie is simply a water bath that buffers the direct heat from the sides and bottom of the baking pan to more evenly bake the cheesecake from the sides to the center.

I bake my cheesecakes in a 9 inch springform pan that has the bottom and sides wrapped in multiple layers of wide heavy duty aluminum foil which forms a sort of boat that the cheesecake pan sits in. The roll of aluminum foil that I use is about 16 inches wide. I use at least 4 layers of foil to make sure that no water leaks in and ruins the crust of my cheesecake. The aluminum foil wrapped pan is then placed inside a larger baking pan; I use a 12 inch cake pan. Boiling water is then poured into the larger pan filling it from 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to the top.

I find it best to pour the boiling water into the pan after it is placed on the rack in the oven as you are less likely to splash water onto the cheesecake or inside the aluminum foil. I reuse the aluminum foil for several future cheesecakes, adding a couple of layers to it each time just to be safe.

Cheesecake

In a small bowl, combine:

• 1 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased or parchment lined 9 inch springform pan. (Grease bottom only!) Parchment paper is ideal here because it makes it very easy to release the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.

Cream together:

• 3 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar

Add, one at a time

• 3 eggs

beating well after each addition. Add

• 3 tsp vanilla extract

Finally blend in

• 1 cup whipping cream

Pour over the prepared base and bake in a bain marie at 300 degrees F for 60 minutes to 70 minutes. The cheesecake does not have to brown at all in order to be fully baked; the surface of the cheesecake should lose any shine when the cake is properly baked. It can still be slightly wobbly just at the center at this point.

Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife completely around the edge of the pan. This will allow for the cheesecake to shrink as it cools and hopefully not crack (but who cares if it does? I am never bothered by a crack or two in the surface) Allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack at room temperature. (NOT in the fridge). Refrigerate after fully cooled.

Top with the mini brownies and drizzle with chocolate ganache before serving. 

Mini Brownies

• 1/3 cup plus one rounded tablespoon of flour
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/3 cup plus one rounded tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 2 rounded tbsp light-brown sugar
• 1 extra large egg
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together flour, cocoa and salt. Melt together butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Add egg, vanilla and sugars. Stir very well until sugars are almost dissolved.

Gently fold in dry ingredients.

Pour batter into a 8 inch square baking pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15-18 minutes at 325 degrees F or until the surface of the center of the brownies appears dry and firm. Toothpick test will not work for this recipe but it will tell you if the middle is still liquid. Do not over bake these brownies or they will be dry rather than moist and chewy. Cool completely before cutting into 1/2 inch squares.

• Chocolate Ganache

In a double boiler, melt together 

• 1 ounce whipping cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

 Drizzle over the brownies and cheesecake.