PUMPKIN BROWNIES

 ¾  cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

¾  cup butter, melted

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

¼ cup cocoa powder

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

½  cup pumpkin puree

½ cup walnuts, chopped

¾  tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground nutmeg

 INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan.
• In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Using a spoon, mix in eggs one at a time.
• Gradually stir in your flour mixture.
• Divide the batter evenly among two separate bowls.
• In one bowl of batter, stir in cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
• In the second bowl of batter, stir in the pumpkin puree, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
• Spread ½ of the chocolate batter into the bottom of a greased 8×8 baking pan. Spread ½ of the pumpkin batter on top of that.
• Add dollops of each of the remaining batters into the baking pan. Gently swirl a butter knife through the dollops of chocolate and pumpkin batter to create a swirled top.
• Bake at 350° for 40 minutes then check. Everyone’s oven is different and it may need 5 more minutes or so.

Cranberry Crumble Pie 

Compote

• 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup plus 2 TBL packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp grated orange zest
• 1 TBL orange juice

Combine cranberries, brown sugar, and orange zest and juice in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to burst, and mixture thickens slightly, 14 to 18 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 1 hour.

Crumble

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBL unsalted butter, chilled

Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter, and toss to coat in oat mixture. Using a bench scraper, cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Using your hands, quickly separate butter cubes, and toss to coat. Using bench scraper, cut butter pieces in half to form 1/4-inch pieces.

Using a pastry blender, cut in butter, rotating bowl after each cut, until butter is mostly incorporated, stopping to clean pastry blender as needed. Using your fingers, smear any large butter pieces to fully incorporate until butter is no longer visible, being careful not to overwork mixture.

Filling

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 8 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/3 cup peeled and grated Bosc or Anjou pear
• 2 TBL cream cheese at room temperature
• Pie dough pre-baked

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together sugar, tapioca starch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a large bowl. Add cranberries, pear, and cooled compote. Mix until well-combined.

Assembly

Using a small offset spatula, evenly spread cream cheese on bottom of blind-baked pie shell. Brush edge with beaten egg. Spoon cranberry mixture on cream cheese, and spread in an even layer. Pile crumble over filling, leaving a small (about 1 1/2-inch) hole in center of pie to serve both as a steam vent for the fruit as it cooks and as an indicator of when the pie is done. Place assembled pie on prepared baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until juices are just bubbling in center and topping is golden brown, 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely, 4 to 6 hours. Serve with ice cream.

from Food & Wine 

 

Spring Picnic Spread

• 4 ounce cream cheese
• 2 medium cucumber, peeled and julienned 
• 2 medium carrot, peeled and shredded 
• 2 cup spring salad mix
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced 
• 6 tablespoons ranch dressing (or your favorite)

Ritz Mock Apple Pie 

This is no April Fool's joke, it does taste like Apple Pie!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Filling

2 cups water

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp cream of tartar

35 RITZ crackers

1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust

1 ½ TBL lemon juice

2 tsp ground cinnamon

• Mix water, sugar and cream of tartar in a large saucepan. bring to a boil on medium-high heat.  add crackers and simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour into pie crust. Sprinkle with lemon juice and ground cinnamon.

 Topping

1 c. RITZ crackers, crushed

2/3 cup brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

• Combine all tipping ingredients
• Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees, reduce to 350 degrees and cover edges of pie crust with foil. Bake 18-20 minutes more, or until pie filling has set.  It should not juggle a lot when moved. 
• Cool before serving.

Apple Rings with Bacon