Leftover Candy? Pumpkin Cupcakes With Maple Frosting

I was looking for leftover Halloween candy recipes to share with you when I came across this Barefoot Contessa recipe in House and Garden.  After this I stopped, no need to keep looking! If you don't have Heath Bars in the leftovers stash (who does!) you can use Butterfingers!

For those of you who like to make more than one dessert forThanksgiving, this would be a great alternative!

Makes 10 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Maple Frosting (recipe follows)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)

Method


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins (I use a level 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits.


Maple Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar


Method

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Recipe Ina Garten for House Beautiful

A Recipe From Ina's New Cookbook...Mocha Chocolate IceBox Cake

As you all know,  Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?" cookbook just came out this week.

I have not read it, but from what I can gather, it is full of simple no-fuss recipes for those who like to eat well but want to spend minimum time in the kitcken.  That seems to be the majority these days.  I think there are few of us who want to spend a whole morning making a bolognese sauce for a dinner party.

She was on the Today Show Tuesday morning showing three of the recipes in her new book.  Click here to view the segment.

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 cups cold heavy cream

12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup Kahlúa liqueur

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3, 8-ounce packages of Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies

Shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish


Preparation

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, Kahlúa, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed, until it forms peaks.

To assemble the cake, arrange chocolate chip cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan, covering the bottom as much as possible. (I break some cookies to fill in the spaces.) Spread a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies. Place another layer of cookies on top, lying flat and touching, followed by another fifth of the cream. Continue layering cookies and cream until there are five layers of each, ending with a layer of cream. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate, cut in wedges and serve cold.

*You don't have to use Tate's but do get a good brand

Recipe Ina Garten
Photo Quentin Bacon





A Pumpkin Carving Contest At the Office!

I'll have to say that my daughter's office surely knows how to promote good will amongst it's co-workers.  When they are not having a chili contest, they are having a pumpkin carving contest, or a picnic at the zoo!  They are a group of very creative people... after all,  they design internet advertising and promotions for major corporations around the globe.

I asked my daughter last night who was responsible for all these great ideas and she mentioned they have a great Human Resources person.   Goes to show you where the great ideas are really coming from!

Here are some of the entries:

My daughter's entry

Some of the entries

Some stiff competition!

Pumpkin Carving Ideas!

If you haven't carved your pumpkin yet, don't despair, here are some great ideas from the folks at Better Homes & Gardens!

The Dogs Of Madison Avenue

Last week I spend a few days in New York City visiting friends and enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. The Upper East Side, which is where I used to live and where I always stay, is the place to go if you want to see beautiful people and beautiful dogs of all breeds. Check out Lindaraxa's Garden for some posts and many pictures of my visit.

Here are the dogs of Madison Avenue, the best behaved dogs in the world besides those in Paris, perhaps.

The customers at Yura

Hey Mom, don't forget my latte!

She had to take me out in my curlers...

What you looking at, fat boy?

Please, please unleash me...please

I didn't know we were supposed to dress up...

New customer at Yura

Now, now what do I see coming...

Closer......

Labradoodles are the "in" dogs these days...in tan

...and black

So how many subscribers do you have? (he has his own blog)

Let's head to the park and sit on a bench

I used to be the "it" dog until the dumb labradoodles...yuck!

Finally, on the last day...a Westie!

Is she friend or foe?

Oh dear, here comes the competition

This is degrading...

What, you didn't like my DNA?

Let's get on with it folks, it's getting late!

Who cares about Madison Avenue? Rather live here at the lake!

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Everybody seems to be baking Peanut Butter Crisscrosses these days.  When I got home from New York there was a box full of them that my pregnant neighbor had made (we should have guesses then!).  This week a group called Tuesdays with Dorie is making them.  You know Dorie, don't you? That's Dorie Greenspan the famous baker.  So I thought I would share them with you, in case you get the peanut butter crazies as well!

Ingredients:


•2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

•1 tsp. baking soda

•½ tsp. baking powder

•¼ tsp. salt

•Pinch of grated nutmeg (I used grounded nutmeg)

•1 cup / 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

•1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, I used smooth)

•1 cup packed light brown sugar

•¾ cup sugar

•2 large eggs

•1 ½ cups chopped salted peanuts (I didn't chop them, it so much better when it's crunchy!)

•About ½ cup sugar, for rolling

Preparation:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanuts. You’ll have a soft, pliable (mushable, actually) dough.

Pour the ½ cup of sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of a fork in sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction – you should have a flattened round of dough with crisscross indentations.

Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Storage:

The cookies will keep for at least 5 days in the cookie jar. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Playing Around:

For a chocolate version, reduce the flour to 2 cups and sift 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into the dry ingredients. Use 1 cup chopped salted peanuts and add 1/3 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chips, preferably minis) along with the nuts.



Preparation: 10 minutes

Baking: 12 minutes per batch

Portions: 60 cookies


From Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my Home to Yours

Halloween Ideas

Nobody does Halloween better than Martha Stewart, although I used to think I came in a close second!  Last year was too busy with the move and the floods that hit our area earlier in the Fall, but this year I think I will have a bonfire out back and invite all the neighbors.  So what are your plans???



Window covers

 





Coffin boxes for candy

 



Cupcake wrappers






Treat bags






Treat bags






Bottle labels






For more Halloween ideas from Martha Stewart go {here}