Disney Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

As much as I love to cook and bake, I'm really weird sometimes about new recipes.  I enjoy collecting them but sometimes it takes a few years before I get around or get in the mood to try them.  I know I've had this recipe for at least 3-4 years because that's the last time I was an annual passholder at Disneyland which was included with a Fall email newsletter.  This is a treat that is offered in the park only during the Fall, although I have to admit I've never tried them (even though I looooove pumpkin).  We've been experiencing semi-Fall weather here in Las Vegas and I was staring at some cans of pumpkin in my pantry when this recipe popped into my head!  And everyone who has tried them raved about them.  So on to the recipe!

Disney Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

  

Ingredients:

·       15 oz. pumpkin purée (not pie filling), canned

·       1 1/2 cups sugar

·       3 large eggs                                

·       3/4 cup canola oil                      

·       1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

·       1 cup flour

·       3/4 tsp. salt                                 

·       1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

·       3/4 tsp. baking soda                   

·       3/4 tsp. cinnamon                      

·       3/4 tsp. ground cloves

·       1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg             

·       1/2 cup raisins, optional

·       Cream Cheese Icing:               

·       1/2 cup unsalted butter              

·       6 oz. cream cheese

·       1/2 tsp. vanilla                           

·       1 cup powdered sugar               

·       1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 325º. 

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.  Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and add to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just blended. Over mixing may result in less tender muffins.  Fold in the raisins (if adding) until consistently distributed.

    Using a large scoop, portion mixture into muffin pans and bake, checking after 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into center of muffin and remove. If toothpick is clean, the muffins are ready. If not, allow muffins to cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until toothpick is clean. 

Remove pans from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool on rack for another 30–60 minutes until completely cooled. 

    Allow cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature for about an hour.  Mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add vanilla extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon, and mix until well blended.  Remove from mixer, and cover and refrigerate until needed.

    Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with icing.  Poke a hole into the center of each cooled muffin and squeeze icing directly into the middle of the muffin, finishing with a rosette on the top.

Servings:  24 muffins

For those who watch cooking shows, I know they are always saying the quality of the ingredient affects the taste so use the best you can find.  You might be taking that advice with a grain of salt wondering what products are they promoting or is a sponsor telling them to say that.  Well, I have no sponsors and I'm not paid to promote any certain brand.  So here's my advice-use the best product you can find!  It really does give more depth to dishes, especially baked goods.  I love King Arthur Flour (KAF)and the products they sell.  I also frequent Williams-Sonoma (WS), but more so their outlet store.  I have really noticed a difference in my baked goods since I started using KAF products especially their flours. Also, I highly recommend their Vietnamese cinnamon.  When you smell it, it smells like Red Hot candies!  It's that strong.  I always grate fresh nutmeg using a microplane grater.  Again, it will add more depth to the flavor.  Another ingredient I love to use is vanilla bean paste which I usually find at the WS outlet.  It's a thickened version of vanilla extract and includes the vanilla bean seeds.  If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla extract, you use a teaspoon of the paste.  Please NEVER use imitation vanilla, it has a weird after taste.  I almost always use Nielsen-Massey (NM) vanillas.  Even if you're a die-hard Mexican vanilla user, I would still only use NM (they have every flavor).  They have found arsenic in many brands made in Mexico and have found that brands touted as genuine vanilla were in fact imitation.  NM uses vanilla beans from Mexico, but process it themselves.  I sometimes use a product by Sonoma Syrup Co. called Vanilla Bean Crush.  It's a combination of Madagascar Bourbon (Bourbon refers to the island, not the alcohol) and Tahitian vanilla beans.  And it also has the seeds!  When you make the cream cheese icing, the tiny little seeds in the vanilla bean paste will give it a cute look (although you may have to explain to some people that they are vanilla bean seeds).  Ok enough of me espousing the benefits of great ingredients:

Disney Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

·       15 oz. pumpkin purée (canned)

·       1 1/2 cups sugar

·       3 large eggs                                

·       3/4 cup canola oil                      

·       1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

·       1 cup flour

·       3/4 tsp. salt                                 

·       1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

·       3/4 tsp. baking soda                   

·       3/4 tsp. cinnamon                      

·       3/4 tsp. ground cloves

·       1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg             

·       1/2 cup raisins, optional

·       Cream Cheese Icing:               

·       1/2 cup unsalted butter              

·       6 oz. cream cheese

·       1/2 tsp. vanilla                           

·       1 cup powdered sugar               

·       1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 325º. 

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.  Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and add to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just blended. Over mixing may result in less tender muffins.  Fold in the raisins (if adding) until consistently distributed.

    Using a large scoop, portion mixture into muffin pans lined with cupcake liners and bake, checking after 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into center of muffin and remove. If toothpick is clean, the muffins are ready. If not, allow muffins to cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until toothpick is clean. 

Remove pans from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool on rack for another 30–60 minutes until completely cooled. 

    Allow cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature for about an hour.  Mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add vanilla extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon, and mix until well blended.  Remove from mixer, and cover and refrigerate until needed.

    Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with icing.  Poke a hole into the center of each cooled muffin and squeeze icing directly into the middle of the muffin, finishing with a rosette on the top.

Servings:  24 muffins

The first batch I made, I used golden raisins.  I tried them at room temperature and didn't care for the texture of the raisins in the muffin.  After refrigerating, not only was the texture of the raisin better, but the overall taste was better.  With muffins and cupcakes, sometimes waiting really is better (I didn't say it would be easy!).  I do find with certain flavors, they do intensify when at room temperature or cooled, especially with pumpkin and banana.  Also, these are very moist muffins and refrigerating them gave them more structure.  

When filling the wells, I use my the large size scoop from Pampered Chef.  I use this same scoop for cupcakes.  With the raisins fill the scoop and maybe slightly rounded, but without the raisins, you want a level scoop.  Another tip I learned from KAF is to spray the inside of the cupcake liners with nonstick spray.  Ever take the liner off the muffin or cupcake and half of it went with the liner?  This will prevent that from happening.  

Even though you are keeping the cream cheese icing in the refrigerator until you're ready for it, you'll want to let it sit out to soften before using.  I would say 15-30 minutes depending on the temperature in your house.  Enjoy!

Lucinda Scala Quinn's (Mad Hungry) Italian Meatloaf (Polpette) and Chunky Italian Mashed Potatoes

For those who know me, they have heard my disgust for meatloaf.  Just the name gives me the willies.  Meat....Loaf, and loaf of meat.  It just seems wrong.  I have only had one other meatloaf that I liked, my old neighbor Marlene Martin's.  But it was more like an Italian Shepherd's pie in loaf form and I love Shepherd's pie.  Now I can say there are two meatloaf's that I really like.  This recipe comes from Lucinda Scala Quinn's who hosts the cooking show Mad Hungry on the Hallmark channel.  I have never found so many "keeper" recipes from one source.  She is amazing, her recipes are tasty and are easy to prepare.  I would recommend everyone to watch her show.  She will make your cooking better and funner! Here we go:

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Italian Meatloaf (Polpette)

  

Ingredients: 

·       1/3 cup milk

·       1 slice bread, crust removed (1 1/2")

·       1 lb. ground pork

·       1 lb. ground veal or beef

·       1/3 lb. mortadella, minced

·       1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

·       1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

·       1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·       1/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped

·       2 cloves garlic, minced

·       2 large eggs, lightly beaten

·       2 tbsp. white or red wine

·       1/2 tsp. coarse salt

·       1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

     Preheat the oven to 400º.

    Heat the milk in a small pan until warm but not scalded. Turn off the heat. Place the bread in the milk and let sit to absorb the milk, turning once, about 1 minute per side.

    Remove the bread, gently squeeze out some of the milk and place on a board to finely chop it. Place the bread in a large bowl.

    Add the pork, veal, mortadella, onion, parsley, cheese, nuts, garlic, eggs, wine, salt, and pepper to the bread. Using your hand, mix to combine completely. Form into an oval-shaped loaf and place in a large baking dish. Cook for 55 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

    Note:  Mortadella (finely ground pork sausage with pieces of pistachio and spices) and a couple tablespoons of wine add tremendous depth of flavor to this traditional comfort food. Serve it with several vegetable side dishes, sparkling water, and a bottle of wine. 

Servings:  6

The recipe doesn't specify what kind of bread to use.  I would say use what you have on hand (I used sourdough), especially pieces that have become drier than others since you're going to soak it in milk.  It does specify to cut off the crust, but I forgot to do that and I didn't see a difference.  The ground pork and mortadella give it a great flavor. Every time I buy mortadella I think of my neighbor, Marlene, telling the story of asking the lady at the deli counter for male mortadella. She looked at Marlene like she was crazy.  Marlene explained, does it have nuts?  If it does, then it's male mortadella!  Of course you have to say that in your head with a NY accent.  Makes it much funnier.  You'll also want to chop the garlic real fine, so you don't have big chunks in the meatloaf (unless you like that). Also, I did not used pistachios in my version.  I am curious what difference it will make, so I will try it next time.

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Chunky Italian Mashed Potatoes

 Ingredients: 

·       5 4-5" russet or Yukon gold potatoes, washed well but not peeled

·       4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

·       1/3 cup milk

·       1 cup (8 oz.) ricotta cheese or small-curd cottage cheese

·       coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

     Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Insert a knife into the center of the potatoes to ensure accurate soft tenderness; the potatoes should be soft but not falling apart. Drain. When cool enough to handle, hold each potato in a clean kitchen towel and peel off the skin. Cut into chunks. (If in a hurry, peel the potatoes first and cut into small chunks for boiling.)

    Add the butter and milk to the same pot and place over the lowest heat to melt the butter and warm the milk. Return the potatoes to the pot and mash until almost smooth. Add the ricotta cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Stir briskly before serving.

Servings:  5-8

This is a real simple dish and don't be put off by the ricotta.  The ricotta adds a richness to the potatoes.  After my 12 year old daughter had these, she proclaimed them the best mashed potatoes she ever had.  Enjoy!

Cookies, cookies, cookies!

Growing up, I was never a big fan of baking cookies.  I was always more interested in baking pies like my Nana. Not to say I didn't enjoy eating them, but for some reason they just didn't fascinate me.  As I've mentioned before, I'm a huge fan of King Arthur Flour.  Not only do they make a superior product, their web site is amazing!  And the customers/baking geniuses that contribute to it are amazing too!  KAF has recipes going way back and spans all the cultures so check it out.  You won't regret it.  Since visiting their site, my love for baking cookies started to grow. With all the products KAF offers, the sky's the limit on flavors and appearances.  And as they say, presentation is half the taste.

Following are three different cookies I decided to make for the first day of school.  I love my kid's elementary school.  They have wonderful teachers, administration and office staff and I try to let them know how wonderful they are by making them treats.  So here we go with the recipes:

My mom found this recipe on the Crisco web site.  These cookies have lots of flavor and are slightly chewy.  And they taste better the next day.  Check out their Oatmeal Raisin cookies, too.  The directions are pretty clear and if you follow them exactly they will be perfect.  I always use a piece of parchment paper on my cookie sheets so when I take them out of the oven I just slide the cookies on the parchment directly onto the cooling rack.

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

  

 Ingredients:

·       1 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar      

·       3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

·       1/2 cup butter flavor shortening

·       3 tbsp. milk        

·       1 tbsp. vanilla extract  

·       1 egg         

·       1 3/4 cup flour   

·       3/4 tsp. baking soda    

·       3/4 tsp. salt

 Directions:

    Preheat oven to 375º. 

    Beat brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk and vanilla at medium speed in a mixer until well blended.  Add egg.  Beat just until blended. 

    Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture at low speed.  Mix just until blended. 

    Drop by rounded tablespoons of dough 2″ apart onto greased baking sheet.  Flatten slightly. 

Bake one baking sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Do not over bake.

    Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.

Servings:  3 doz.     

This recipe and the next were both from King Arthur Flour's web site.  When I think of Summer, I think of lemon.  When it's really warm, you don't want too much sweet.  These are a great combination of tart and sweet.  And they are so pretty!

Lemon Cream Cheese Coolers

 Ingredients:

·       Dough:     

·       2 sticks butter    

·       4 oz. cream cheese

·       1/4 tsp. salt         

·       1/2 tsp. baking powder

·       1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel       

·       1/4 tsp. lemon oil        

·       1/2 cup sugar     

·       1/2 cup powdered sugar       

·       2 cups flour

·       Coating:

·       3/4 cup powdered sugar

·       3/4 cup sugar     

·       1/4 tsp. lemon oil        

·       yellow sanding sugar (for color)

 Directions:

    In a mixer, beat together the butter, cream cheese, salt, baking powder, lemon peel and lemon oil. When that mixture is soft, add the sugars, a bit at a time, until evenly blended and fluffy. Finally, mix in the flour.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes. 

    Preheat the oven to  375°.

    Using small scoop to measure, roll the dough by hand into 1/2″ balls.

  Place the balls on ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets, and flatten them to about 1/4″ thick and 1 3/4-2″ in diameter. 

    Bake the cookies for 14-18 minutes, or until they're lightly browned on the bottom and edges. 

    While the cookies are baking, make the coating. Place the sugars in a food processor or blender, and add the lemon oil. Process until well-blended. Note: This can also be done in a bowl with a whisk, but the food processor makes sure the lemon oil is evenly blended with the sugar. 

    Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for about 5-8 minutes, then dip them into the prepared sugar coating mixture. Place the cookies on a wire rack and let them cool completely. After they're completely cooled, shake more powdered sugar over them. 

    Variation: For Raspberry-Lemon Coolers, add 1 teaspoon raspberry flavoring to the cookie dough and pink sanding sugar to the coating.  If you like raspberry lemonade, you'll love these cookies! 

    Note:  Why coolers? Because these citrusy, slightly tart cookies are a "cool" alternative to the usual heavy, chocolate, sweet confections that cover the table during the holidays. Tender but not exactly crisp, soft but not soggy, these cookies melt in your mouth.

Servings:  4 doz.     

For the butter, I like to let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes.  They're not too soft, but warm enough to cream.  I would do the same with the cream cheese.  This recipe calls for lemon zest and for lemon oil.  With the zest, you only want the yellow part of the skin, not the bitter white pith.  I get my lemon oil for KAF, but I think you would probably be able to find it at these stores:  William's-Sonoma, Sur la Table, Whole Foods or any cake supply store.  

To shape the cookies, I use my Pampered Chef small scoop.  I scoop up the dough to where it's level.  I do 4 rows of 3 across and scoop up all the balls before I roll them with my hands.  You can use another object to flatten them, but I found it took too much time because of the dough sticking to the object so I just used my hand.  Don't flatten them too much, though because they will over bake.  Keep an eye on them as they bake because they will brown fast on the bottoms.  

For the coating, it recommends combining it in a mixer or food processor.  If you do so, add the sanding sugar  after by hand.  The mixer and food processor will break down the colored sugar and it won't show up as much.  As a variation, you can gently stir in yellow edible glitter (you can find it at Michael's or KAF). This will give them a sparkly look.  You want to do the first coating while the cookies are slightly warm.  This will make it stick and give it more flavor.  

Lemon-Raspberry Sparkler Cookies

 Ingredients:

·       Cookies:   

·       1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

·       3/4 cup sugar     

·       1/2 tsp. salt         

·       1 tsp. baking powder

·       2 tbsp. lemon juice      

·       1/8 tsp. lemon oil        

·       1 tsp. raspberry flavoring

·       1/8 tsp. sour salt (citric acid)*       

·       1 large egg          

·       2 1/2 cups flour

·       Coating:

·       1/8 rounded tsp. sour salt (citric acid*)

·       1 1/2 cups powdered sugar  

·       3 tbsp. white edible glitter

·       yellow and pink sanding sugar (for color)

Directions:

    Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a mixer beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and baking powder till well blended. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon oil, raspberry flavoring, sour salt (citric acid), and the egg. Blend in the flour thoroughly. 

    Roll the dough into 1" balls, and place them on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake the cookies in the top third of the oven for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are browned on the bottom.

    Remove them from the oven, and cool on the pan for about 10-12 minutes before transferring to a rack. 

    Mix together the sugar coating ingredients in a pan or bag. Gently shake and roll the still slightly warm cookies in the sugar till coated. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then repeat, coating again with the sugar. (If you're freezing the cookies, you may choose to recoat the cookies in sugar once they've been removed from the freezer, before serving.) 

    *Sour salt (citric acid) is what gives the cookies their sour bite—if you want less tang, use just a pinch.

Servings:  3 doz.     

This recipe is a variation of a favorite, Key Lime Sparklers.  I usually make the Key Lime version during the holidays to balance out the heavier flavors of the other treats I make.  They seem to be more of a favorite with the adults who really go nuts over them.  This version is a bit more kid friendly and better suited for the Summer.  

There are two additional specialty ingredients that this recipe calls for, raspberry flavoring and sour salt.  You can probably find the raspberry flavoring at the sources I mentioned in the last recipe, but the sour salt might be harder to find.  I bought mine from KAF, but I have had it forever.  You will probably only have to buy it once, though.  You can omit it, but I love that tiny bit of tartness it gives.  If you do buy it but want to know other ways to use it, here is another feature I love about KAF's site.  Go to their site, kingarthurflour.com and click on recipes.  Instead of typing in the name of a recipe you're looking for, type in the name of the ingredient.  Up comes all the recipes that call for this ingredient!  

Again I use the small scoop to shape these cookies, but the balls can be slightly rounded when you scoop up the dough.  Since these stay in the ball shape, I do 4 rows of 4 across.  Just be real careful when you carry your cookie sheet to the oven.  If you move too fast or have the sheet at an angle, they can roll around.  

For decoration you can add the yellow and pink sanding sugar, but I find the yellow doesn't show up that much with the pink.  It also calls for white edible glitter, but you can use yellow (it's brighter than the sanding sugar) and/or pink.  That's what gives them the sparkler name!  Enjoy!