Pumpkin Squares

Years ago I took these bars to a Halloween party at a friend's house and they won second place in her dessert bake off.  While they are a little bit like pumpkin pie without the crust, the cream cheese icing gives them a flavor close to carrot cake.  We love these as an easy dessert, and they are so quick to put together that even the kids could help.

Pumpkin Squares
Company's Coming Holiday Entertaining

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
14oz (398 ml) canned pumpkin
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt.

With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Stir in pumpkin. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch cake pan, smooth the top,  and bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream cheese icing

4 oz (125 g) cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups of icing sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add vanilla and about 1/2 cup of icing sugar at a time. If the icing is too thick, thin it with a little milk. Frost squares.

**These squares do not freeze well. Keep them in a sealed container in the fridge. Yummy!

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Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is such a favourite in this house that we don't even wait for a holiday to eat it, we'll take any excuse. In fact we love it so much that during Christmas and Thanksgiving my family doesn't care about any of the other holiday food, they just want pie. We are pumpkin pie purists-no chocolate, no cream cheese, nothing weird in our pie, just pure, delicious, pie.

This is it.

Makes 1 pie

2 eggs
398 ml of canned pumpkin
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup evaporated milk
*1 deep dish unbaked pie shell (crust)

In a large bowl, combine the canned pumpkin with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Stir until combined. Beat eggs in a seperate bowl and add to pumpkin mixture. Stir well. Add evaporated milk a gently stir until well combined. Pour into pie crust and bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 350 F and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes. It is finished when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool, chill, top with real whipped cream, and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee.

*As for the pie shell, I do not make pastry from scratch. I don't buy it ready made either, I get this stuff which is sorta homemade, but also sorta cheating. But it's good for those of us that aren't so hot at making pastry entirely from scratch.

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Ginger Gems

Working in a school gives you the chance to meet all sorts of kids. Some you don't remember, because while they are nice children, they don't stand out. Some stand out for the wrong reasons. Others you just remember because they are bright little souls that despite difficulties they have had to face, their spirits shine so bright it's hard to miss. Angie was one of those kids. Besides her strikingly blue, long lashed eyes, she was one of those kids that had my heart in the first five minutes I knew her.

Angie's Mom used to bake me cookies. Every Christmas, long weekend, and finally at the end of the school year, spicy, sweet ginger cookies rolled in sugar and lovingly packed in a pretty basket always made me feel special and appreciated. To this day, I can't eat a ginger cookie without warmly thinking of Angie, and I have taken a cue from her Mom and bake these cookies for Kevin's teachers as well.

2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
1/4 cup molasses

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Sift flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, and then water and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Shape into balls, roll each in sugar and place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, flattening slightly.

Bake 8-10 minutes

I believe it makes about 3 dozen, maybe more. This dough also freezes very well. Thaw before rolling into balls, coating with sugar, and baking.

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Caramilk Brownies

When I was a kid, I once wrote a story that I had the Caramilk touch, just like King Midas with the gold touch. Everything I touched turned to Caramilk bars. On a trip to Purdy's chocolate, Kevin and I even learned the secret of how caramel is put into those bars, but if I tell I'm afraid I'll have the chocolate mafia after me. Instead, I'm giving you this recipe. The nuts in it are optional, but nothing else is.

February 1998 Canadian Living

2 Caramilk bars or 2 Rolo bars, each square cut in 1/2
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp butterscotch sauce

Line an 8 inch cake pan with foil, leaving overhang for "handles." Grease.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate with butter until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Whisk in sugar and vanilla, then eggs 1 at a time until the batter is shiny.

In a bowl, combine flour, half of the pecans, the baking powder and salt. Stir. Add to chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Scrape into pan. Drizzle with half of the butterscotch sauce. Scatter remaining pecans over top, and then scatter Caramilk pieces over top as well. Drizzle with remaining sauce. Press down very gently, but don't submerge the toppings.

Bake in the center of a 350 F (180 C) oven for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool. Remove from pan using the foil 'handles' you created and let cool to room temperature. These freeze well, and could be stored at room temperature for 5 days if wrapped in foil.

Makes 16 delectable, chocolatey, gooey brownies. Your family will worship the ground you walk on. Trust me, I know this from experience. (they make great teacher gifts too)

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Best Cheesecake EVER

Must...make...cheesecake....

I don't eat cheesecake often, mostly because once I start, it's really hard to resist. Kevin can't eat it, and John doesn't really like it, so I hesitate to make a giant cheesecake just for myself. This is why I don't have my own photo. This is a fantastic recipe that I make for company or if I need to take a fancy dessert to an event. Top slices with chocolate sauce, fruit, and whipping cream to make it extra special.

Adapted from Today's Parent December 2006

Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C)

Crumb Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker or chocolate wafer crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Stir ingredients together in a bowl and then pat into a greased 10 inch springform pan (don't go up the sides). Bake for 10 minutes and then let cool.

Filling:
3 8oz(250 g) packages of cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Beat in vanilla, then sugar. Pour over baked graham crust. Bang the pan on the counter a few times to release bubbles in the batter. Bake 45-50 minutes. The cake may be fairly moist in the middle, which is fine.

Sour Cream Topping
In a bowl stir 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla together. Spread over the cheesecake as soon as it comes out of the oven, and then return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes.

Allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature, and then put it in the fridge and let it chill for several hours or overnight.

Makes a luscious 10 inch cheesecake.

Photo above by Chris Birchill

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Chunky Almond Chompers

One of the first kinds of cookies I learned to make, these can be done without an electric mixer.  John used to rationalize that because they have some whole wheat flour and almonds in them, they must be healthy.  I think it that was just because he couldn't stop eating them!  Truthfully, I have no idea where this recipe came from so if anyone recognizes it, please tell me so I can properly credit.  I've been making it for the past 20 years though, and they are one tasty cookie!

1 cup melted butter
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8-10 oz semi sweet chocolate squares, chopped
1 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine sugar and melted butter. Beat in eggs. In a different bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda and powder, and salt. Mix into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks and the almonds. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately and let cool on rack.

Makes 2 1/2 - 3 dozen.

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Maple Glazed Salmon

Sweet with a bit of an Asian flair, this tasty glaze for salmon had Kevin and I not talking to each other last night...we were too busy eating! Be sure to line your pan with foil, the maple mixture does tend to run around and burn on the pan. I often continue to baste the salmon with it as it cooks so that the sauce doesn't just burn all over the pan.

Adapted from Canadian Living

1/4 cup maple syrup
4 tsp grainy mustard
4 tsp soy sauce
2 lb salmon fillet, skinned

Mix the maple syrup, mustard, and soy sauce together in a bowl. Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with foil, and pour maple mixture over top.

Bake at 425 F for about 12 minutes or until flaky.

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Chocolate Rice Krispie Squares

Probably the most searched recipe on this site, created back in June 2008, these are my favorite way to eat those iconic crisped rice squares. They are featured in Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen, and on Food Gawker! I make them even better by slicing the square in half and sandwiching in your favorite ice cream, then wrapping in cling film and putting back into the freezer to harden up.

I served this to some co-workers and 2 years later they are still talking about them.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
250 g of mini marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 cups Rice Krispie cereal
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Grease a 9x13 inch cake pan with butter.

In a large pot, melt the butter and the marshmallows together over low heat, stirring constantly. When completely melted, add the vanilla and cocoa, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Pour in the cereal and chocolate chips and with a wooden spoon, stir until combined.

Rub some butter on your hands and pack the warm mixture into the pan, pressing it down. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

I store these babies in the pan at room temperature, with a good covering of Saran Wrap on them.

* For extra over the top chocolatey goodness, you could melt 3 oz of chocolate chips and drizzle it over the top. Let cool and then cut into squares.

©Scattered Mom

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