Recipes - Cookies, Pies, Cakes, and Other Sweets

[Phillip Dampier]

This thread will cover dessert items and sweets.

[Lynne]

Lynne's Favorite Pumpkin Pie (Adapted from Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook)

3 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin, squash, or sweet potatoes (...you can sub 29oz can of puree)
3 tbs white sugar
3 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs molasses
0.5 tsp cloves or allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp powdered ginger
0.5 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1.5 cups evaporated milk (lowfat OK, but I use sweetened condensed - makes it much richer)

1 unbaked 9" pie crust (you can make this from scratch, but I'm too lazy - usually get refrigerated Pillsbury)

1) Preheat oven to 375 deg F
2) Place puree in a medium mixing bowl; add other ingredients and beat until smooth.
3) Spread into pie crust and bake at 375 10 minutes; reduce temperature to 350 and bake 40 additional minutes or until the pie is firm in the center when shaken lightly.
4) Cool to at least room temperature before serving.

Optional topping:
whipped cream w/a little sugar and rum
whipped cream w/a little sugar and vanilla extract
real vanilla bean ice cream

**Note - it's a pain to cook fresh pumpkin.  You have to cut it, clean out the inside pulp, chop it into manageable-sized wedges, bake it until the pumpkin is soft, then scrape the pumpkin off the shell, then puree it all.  It makes a giant mess.  But it is completely worth the trouble compared to the canned stuff.  Of course, if you prefer sweet potatoes, it becomes a much easier and less messy venture. 

[MaineWriter]

At the Boston Brokie Get Together, I made this for the cherry cake bake off. For those of us who are not bakers, it couldn't be much easier. Enjoy!

THIRD PRIZE WINNER BOSTON BROKIES GET TOGETHER CHERRY CAKE

1 pkg yellow cake mix (pudding type)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Place cake mix, sour cream, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Blend on low speed for one minute. Stop, scrape the sides and then blend on medium speed for 2 minutes more. Batter should look well blended.

Spread batter in a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan. Spoon cherry pie filling over the top, spreading evenly, then swirl in just enough to make a marbled effect.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.

Cool and serve to a passel of hungry cowgirls and cowboys.

Enjoy!

[Phillip Dampier]

Lynne's Favorite Pumpkin Pie (Adapted from Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook)

The Moosewood is a restaurant in Ithaca, NY which John and I have eaten at a few times, most recently this past summer.  They've toned down on the militant "paper is murder of trees" stance they used to have, but they are still very much about their high quality vegetarian foods, which offer very complex flavors.  I had an Indian Harvest stew which was amazingly good last time I ate there.

[Ellemeno]

I love Moosewood cookbooks, and one day dream of going to the restaurant.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Brer Rabbit Molasses Cookies

(My mother got this recipe off the label of "Brer Rabbit" brand molasses, the "green label" version, which I guess is intended for cooking and baking, as opposed to use as a table syrup. These are my all-time favorite cookies. They are not a soft molasses cookie, but sort of like a ginger snap, except with not as much ginger.)

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup "Brer Rabbit" "Green Label" molasses
1 egg
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt shortening in a 3 or 4 qt. saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, cool.
Add sugar, molasses, and egg; beat well.
Sift together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt; add to the mixture of sugar, molasses, and egg. Mix well and chill.
Form into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar.
Place on a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes

[Brown Eyes]

Picking up on Leslie's theme here...  Why don't we all try to come up with as many real recipes for cherry cake as we can?  Before BBM I'd never heard of such a thing (mind you I'm not much of a cook or baker).  Maybe we could have our own BetterMost virtual cherry cake bake-off.
 

[dot-matrix]

If your looking for a lighter alternative with a traditional flavor, this is one of mine and Bob's fav's


Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 package (9 ounces) prepared graham cracker pie crust
1 pint vanilla ice cream softened
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
1 cup whipped cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Fill pie crust with ice cream; freeze until solid.
In medium bowl, combine pumpkin, whipped cream, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Spoon mixture over frozen layer of ice cream in crust; freeze until solid.

To serve;remove pie from freezer and place in refrigerator one hour before serving. Slice and serve with additional whipped cream, if desired.

Cooking tip: Frozen non-fat yogurt and fat-free whipped topping may be used in place of ice cream and whipped cream.

[dot-matrix]

and this one is a tradition in Bob's family.  His Mom told me she'll be baking it in the morning.  I can tell you it is delicious.


Pumpkin Cake Roll

Ingredients:

Cake:
3 eggs -- room temp.
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Filling:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
6 ounces cream cheese
4 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Beat eggs for 5 minutes.

Gradually beat in sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice. In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread in prepared jellyroll pan.

Top with walnuts.

Bake at 375'F for 15 minutes.
 
Turn cake out onto towel sprinkle with sugar and roll up "jellyroll fashion.
Cool.

Prepare filling, beating all ingredients until creamy.
Unroll the cake and spread filling and re-roll; chill.

Serve sprinkled lightly with confectioners' sugar and heavy whipped cream on the side

[Marge_Innavera]

This is a very rich cherry dessert that I entered in the Missouri State Fair last year. The cherries are the type Mrs. Twist would have used for her cherry cake.

The recipe calls for fresh tart pie cherries; but if those aren't available you can use canned cherries or canned cherry pie crust filling. If you use canned pie filling, eliminate the 1-1/4 cup sugar and the tapioca.


Black Forest Pecan Pie

3 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp pecan pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups pitted sour cherries
1-1/4 cup sugar
5-1/2 tsp. tsp tapioca
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust or 2-crust piecrust recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, melted butter and corn syrup together. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell.

Mix the cherries, sugar, tapioca and flavorings; heat to almost boiling, stirring occasionally. Spoon the cherry filling over the top of the pie and sprinkle a few additional chocolate chips over the top. Top with lattice crust or shapes cut with cookie cutter.

Bake until set, 40 to 50 minutes