by Kathy Douglas | Oct 26, 2021 | Desserts, Holiday
Slay your Halloween with this fun dessert. While they look ghoulish, these pumpkin and white chocolate mini cheesecakes are quite delicious. We used Wilton Blood Red Syrup and mini Candy Knives to add a spooky finishing touch. This recipe uses a scale to measure in grams for accuracy.
INGREDIENTS
For the Crust
115 g Graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
43 g unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
114 g white chocolate, chopped, melted
270 g cream cheese
2 eggs
35 g pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
100 g pumpkin purée
1/4 cup sour cream
For the Topping
114 g white chocolate, chopped, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Decorations
Wilton Blood Red Syrup
Wilton Candy Knives and Hatchets Set
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line the bottom of six mini springform pans with parchment. Butter the parchment and the sides of the pans.
To make the crust – Mix all the ingredients of the crust together. Divide the mixture between the mini cheesecake pans and press it into the bottom of the pan to form the crust. Place on a sheet tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 325℉.
To make the filling – Using a stand mixer on medium low, cream the cream cheese with the melted white chocolate and then add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine completelyafter each addition. In a small bowl combine the maple syrup, spices, pumpkin purée and sour cream. Add to the cream cheese mixture and stir until completely combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Place on a sheet tray in the oven and bake at for 25-30 minutes until set. Remove and set aside, leaving the oven on.
To make the topping – Whisk together all of the topping ingredients and pour an equal amount over the cheesecakes, spreading evenly. Place back in the oven and bake at 325℉ for 10 minutes more to set the topping.
Remove and cool completely in the springform pans. When completely cool, run a knife around the edge of the springform plans to loosen, then refrigerate in the pans covered overnight.
After chilling overnight, remove from the springform pans and decorate with Halloween syrup and candy knives. Refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 19, 2021 | Breakfast
Tasty flavors are paired together in a chocolate bottom pumpkin muffin. To add a zing of orange, we added orange-floral Fiori di Sicilia cream cheese center. Perfect for any fall breakfast or brunch!
This recipe has three batters and uses a scale to measure in grams for accuracy.
Make the filling
INGREDIENTS
227g cream cheese, at room temperature
50g granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilian extract or orange extract
1 egg white
INSTRUCTIONS
In a bowl, beat all ingredients until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Refrigerate to chill and keep cold.
Make the chocolate batter
INGREDIENTS
29g Dutch processed cocoa
120 g flour
133g light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
85g milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
57g unsalted butter, melted slightly cooled
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large measuring cup whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, to the dry ingredients, stirring to combine; set aside.
Make the pumpkin batter
INGREDIENTS
134g flour
80g brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
171 g pumpkin purée
1 large egg plus one egg yolk
4 1/2 tablespoons grape seed oil
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup or golden cane syrup
56g whole milk
Softened butter for the pan
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large measuring cup or small bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, syrup and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Using the softened butter, lightly grease 8 large silicone baking cups set on a baking sheet or a 12-cup muffin pan. Depending on which size cups you use, scoop 2-4 tablespoons of chocolate batter into each of the muffin cups, followed by 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling in the center. Next, cover the filling with 2-4 tablespoons of the pumpkin batter. You may only use half of the center filling. Set aside the rest for another use.
Place in the oven and bake for 18 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted toward the edge, not in the filling, comes out crumb-free. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan or cups and cool completely.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 11, 2021 | Holiday, Side Dishes
Purple bell peppers, disguised as a witch’s cauldron, make for a fun Halloween dinner! Filled with cheese, rice, and sautéed veggies, they are topped with tiny cherry tomatoes and goat cheese curds for a bubbling finish. Add a Wilton tree branch treat stick as the perfect stirring branch to complete the Halloween vibe.
INGREDIENTS
6 large purple peppers
1 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup chopped tomato, seeds removed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
6 ounces crumbled goat cheese, 1 ounce of the larger crumbles removed and set aside.
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup cooked rice
10-12 very small cherry tomatoes
6 Wilton treat sticks, plastic tree branches
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oven to 375˚F. Slice off the tops of the peppers, discard the seeds, stem, and membranes. Set the peppers aside and finely chop the remaining top. You should have about ¾ cup of chopped pepper tops after you have removed all the tops from the six. Finely dice the onion to make 1 cup. Heat the oil over medium heat in a sauté pan and add the peppers, onions and half the salt.
Sauté until most of the moisture is gone from the mixture, then add the tomato and the rest of the salt. Cook until most all the tomato water has cooked away, then add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, 5-ounces of the goat cheese, sour cream, and the rice. Stir until well combined. Fill the peppers, leaving 3/8-1/2” space at the top, place on a baking tray then in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and top with the cherry tomatoes, pressing them halfway into the mixture in the pepper. Place back in the oven for 5 more minutes.
Remove from the oven and set the oven temperature to broil. Arrange the remaining 1-ounce of larger goat cheese crumbles in and around the tomatoes. Place under the broiler and watch carefully to just slightly melt and just brown the top of the cheese. This should be 5 minutes or less. Remove from the oven. Let rest 5 minutes and add the decorative treat sticks to each pepper-cauldron and serve.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 5, 2021 | Desserts, Holiday
The flavors of chocolate and pumpkin taste delicious together. And, we love the Halloween vibe of our dark Chocolate Brownie cups filled with Pumpkin Mousse and topped with a cute little Williams Sonoma marshmallow pumpkin.
You will need a brownie bowl pan and mini pumpkin marshmallows to make this dessert. Both are available at Williams Sonoma. If your brownie pan didn’t come with a recipe, here is a simple one below.
Basic Brownie Bowl Recipe
Makes 6 bowls using special equipment – 6-well pan, Brownie Ice Cream Bowl
INGREDIENTS
Softened butter for brownie pan
2/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon expresso powder
1/2 cup grape seed oil
2 tablespoons water
3 large eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the wells of a brownie bowl pan using softened butter.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars, salt, flour, and espresso powder.
Mix well the oil, and eggs, add to the dry ingredients mixing until combined. Scoop 2/3 cup of the mixture into each of the wells of the pan. Tap the pan on the counter to remove excess air.
Bake the brownie bowls for 25 to 30 minutes, testing for doneness. Remove the brownies from the oven, cool them in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out of the pan on a rack to cool for 1 hour. Store on the counter, covered, until ready to finish.
Pumpkin mousse
INGREDIENTS
½ cup sugar
7-½ ounces (½ can) canned pumpkin
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1½ cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 marshmallow pumpkins
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, pumpkin and spices. Stir continuously with wooden spoon over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, just until the sugar melts.
Transfer to a bowl and set the bowl over ice to cool.
Using an electric mixer, whip the cream with the salt and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Very gently stir into the cooled pumpkin mixture, mixing until the white streaks just disappear. Place the mousse in a large piping bag fitted with an open tip. Fill the brownie wells with the mousse and chill until set. Just before serving, top each mousse filled brownie with a marshmallow pumpkin.
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