Spiced Pumpkin Brownies

Well it has been a while since the last post, but here we are again, and its fall! I have been working with this one for the last couple days and I think I finally got it right.

These brownies are extremely moist, rich and light.

Spiced Pumpkin Brownies

1 cup butter (softened)

1 ¾ cups brown sugar (packed) – you can use white sugar aswell

1 tbsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

5 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp powdered ginger

½ tsp cardamom

¼ tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree

5 oz unsweetened chocolate (melted)

¼ cup cacao powder

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400, then reduce to 350.

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add extractsand beat in eggs one at a time, making sure fully combined after each egg.Mixture should be light and fluffy. Add in spices and pumpkin, mix well. Add incacao powder, mix well. Add in melted chocolate slowly and then beat for aminute or two after all chocolate is in. Once completely blended, add flour andmix gently just until blended.

Pour into a buttered and floured 9 x 13 inch baking dish andbake for 20 – 25 minutes. 

Pie Day!

Made a couple of pie for a friends birthday. We have Key Lime with fresh Raspberries, Bananas Foster Cream Pie and Lemon Meringue.

Key Lime Pie

4 egg yolks

2 tbps agave

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

3 tps lime zest

Either a graham cracker pie crust of a standard pie crust (standard crust must be par cooked).

Whipped cream frosting

Raspberries

Beat egg and agave until egg is a light yellow colour and has increased in volume. Should almost look like beaten butter. 

Beat in condensed milk, 1/2 can at a time. Beat until thick and creamy. add 1/2 juice until combine and then add other half of juice and zest and beat until combine. 

Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. This is just long enough to make the eggs innocuous. 

Decorate with whipped cream ans raspberries if you like :).

Bananas Foster Cream Pie

1 recipe for vanilla bean custard

1 fully cooked pie shell

7-8 sliced bananas and divided equally

a "dry" bananas foster recipe

whipped cream

The only difference between this and other Banana Cream Pies is that instead of just lining the bottom of the crust with raw banana, you line it with Bananas Foster. Use a less liquid recipe so that the crust doesn't get soggy.

I let it sit overnight and then covered with fresh bananas and piped whipped cream.

A note on making a good stiff whipped cream for piping......

2 cups whipping cream (also called double cream)

1 tbsp agave syrup

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

The powdered sugar is the key. It keeps the cream buoyant and stiff even after piping. It will hold its form for several hours/days.  You want to whip the cream until it doesn't move, but if you whip to much, you are basically making butter, it gets very thick and your tongue can feel the fat stick to it. 

Guess who got a new toy....

This is true love :)