Bourbon Pumpkin Marble Cheesecake
Pumpkin cheesecake is one of my favorite holiday desserts and marbling the pumpkin filling with a bourbon vanilla filling takes it over the top for me. The recipe is my riff on the classic pumpkin marble cheesecake from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cheesecakes book published in 1989. I found a wire bound copy years ago at a yard sale for 50 cents and picked it right up. The recipes aren’t fussy, just simple and good, with a mix of baked and no-bake cheesecakes. I’ve made a number of cheesecakes from the book over the years and we enjoyed them all. Read more
Pumpkin Pancakes and a Giveaway
It’s here! This week we celebrate my third blog anniversary and my birthday. January 7, 2006 was the day I found the first comment on my little online cooking database—it had been there for a couple weeks—and suddenly I realized I had a cooking blog. It’s also the day I found out I was pregnant with Monkey Boy, but that’s another story. Since we have two big things to celebrate I thought it would be fun to have some giveaways, so be on the lookout for at least one giveaway each week through the end of the month. This week’s giveaway is sponsored by Stonyfield Farm.
I’ll say this right up front: we are a family of yogurt eaters, and Stonyfield Farm is my favorite yogurt. I got hooked on the French Vanilla years ago and have been eating and cooking with their yogurts ever since. This pancake recipe from the Stonyfield website uses plain yogurt and pumpkin puree to make easy and fluffy pancakes. These are a family favorite and a great way to finish off any leftover pumpkin from holiday baking. Use fresh homemade puree or canned, whatever suits you.
This week’s prize package from Stonyfield Farm includes $50 worth of coupons for free delicious and healthy Stonyfield Farm yogurt, a reusable shopping bag, oven mitt, and spatula.
Pumpkin Scones
Thanksgiving day breakfast is made to be special, especially if you have family or friends visiting, but it doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. In fact, we try to keep breakfast simple on big feast days just because we have so much other cooking business to attend to. Often I make breakfast the night before and warm it up in the morning. Scones and muffins are easy breakfasts that hold up well overnight and taste delicious in the morning with hot tea, coffee, or mulled cider.
I adapted these pumpkin scones from my cherry sour cream scones recipe. The pumpkin puree acts as a binder and keeps the scones just moist enough to hold together, while the milk and cinnamon sugar on top gives a satisfying crunch.
PUMPKIN SCONES
Makes 8 scones.
Equipment
food processor with blade attachment
small bowl
large mixing bowl
baking sheet, greased or lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
2 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/3 cup (58 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons/113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (50 g) raisins or golden raisins
1/2 cup (120 mil) pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk
cinnamon & sugar mix
Preparation
1. Move oven rack to the lower-middle part of the oven. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. In food processor bowl, mix the flour, cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the pieces of butter and pulse about 10 to 12 times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Pour the flour mixture into the large mixing bowl and add the raisins. Stir in the pumpkin mixture until large dough clumps form. Press it all together with a spatula, making sure you don’t have any loose bits of flour.
5. Flour your hands well. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Brush milk on the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix.
6. Cut into 8 triangles and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Make Ahead
For a quick breakfast, make them the night before and wrap in a tea towel when cool, then warm in the oven in the morning.
More Thanksgiving Day Breakfast Recipes
More Scones Recipes From Around the Blogs
Farmgirl Fare – Savory Cheese and Scallion Scones
Cooking with Amy – Scottish Oat Scones
Baking and Books – Coffee-Glazed Chocolate Chip Scones
Albion Cooks – Irish Buttermilk Scones
Pumpkin Pie Cookie Bites
We had some extra pumpkin pie filling, so I baked it as a simple custard. Michael came up with this idea for serving the pumpkin custard to the boys, and they really enjoyed it. It’s also an easy way to turn pumpkin pie into a finger food for holiday parties.
Equipment
9×9 inch square cake pan, greased
#60 scoop (if you use gingersnaps)
Ingredients
Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
Continuing with the pumpkin theme…
While thinking about what to do for breakfast today, I remembered the extra pumpkin puree in the refrigerator. There wasn’t enough to make another pie, but there was certainly enough for pumpkin waffles. These are fluffy, full of flavor, and a little bit rich, and they go perfectly with a savory side of bacon or ham. Serve with warm maple syrup.
SPICED PUMPKIN WAFFLES
Adapted from Country Living magazine.
Makes about 8 Belgian-size waffles.
Equipment
2 large bowls
waffle iron Read more
Pumpkin Pie
I’m catching up on my Thanksgiving food blogging. My original plan was to post the last three recipes on Thanksgiving day, but somehow the day got away from me in the midst of making dinner and taking care of the boys. So I will post them throughout today.
Some foods are an absolute requirement for Thanksgiving dinner, and for me that short list includes roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie; everything else is negotiable. Actually, I enjoy pumpkin pie anytime during the holiday season.
I grew up with the pumpkin pie recipe on the back of the pumpkin puree can, and I always enjoyed it. I like the dense texture better than “fluffy” pumpkin pies. This year I wanted to update the pie a bit, Read more
