pumpkin | Just About Baked

Pumpkin Ganache Pie

November 10, 2015
Mir
Pie Day
37 Comments

How do you make a pumpkin pie even better? You got it! Add a layer of chocolate ganache to the top. Moment of silence for the delicious pie, folks. It wasn’t long for this world.

As Thanksgiving looms ever closer, I can’t stop baking pie. All of them are contenders for the big day, but it’s going to be hard to pick the best ones. I’ve always had such a hard time with the concept of “favorite” dessert.

I mean, come on. How are we supposed to pick an ultimate winner when so many desserts are so wonderful? And pie is the happiest of all holiday treats. Still, if I had to start expressing preferences, this pie would be up there. It’s a traditional pumpkin pie with a thick layer of chocolate ganache on top. Needless to say, it’s a winner.

Pumpkin Spice Cookie Cake

It’s autumn, which means that there are a series of holidays that force me to go digital-free for a couple of days this week and next. So I’ll be back on the scene soon, but in the meantime, I have this for you!

It’s a pumpkin cookie cake, yep. But it also has delightful pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting. It doesn’t get much better than this. Unless somebody happens to have a jet ski handy, because that’s on my bucket list.

Cookie cakes are so superior to plain old cookies. Think about it: no dough chilling time, nice big wedges to dig into, and frosting. Why do you think those cookie cakes at the grocery store always look so tempting?

Frozen Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Tart

September 21, 2015
Mir
Elegant Desserts, No Bake, Pie Day, We Scream for Ice Cream!
30 Comments

This one is making the Thanksgiving pie cut this year.

Every year, I bake a collection of different pies for Thanksgiving. And while my mind wasn’t even on November when I did this, it doesn’t matter. This pie is going down in history as one of the big winners.

Even if you don’t use this for late autumn, it’s a perfect transitional pie. It’s got ice cream in it for warmer weather, but pumpkin for autumnal cravings. Oh, and chocolate chips for chocolate lovers with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Have I mentioned that this is the best tart ever?

Pumpkin Crumb Cake (Gluten-Free!)

September 18, 2015
Mir
Gluten-Free Goodness, Healthier Indulgences, Let Them Eat Cake
26 Comments

This is the best pumpkin crumb cake in the world. And it’s healthy. And gluten-free. I kid you not.

In case you haven’t noticed, I waited to start posting pumpkin recipes until I saw physical evidence of fall around here: leaves on the lawn, cooler morning temps, a certain zing in the air. Unlike many of my fellow bloggers, I don’t start baking with pumpkin until September. Sorry, guys. I hate the end of summer. Hate it.

But man, do I love this cake. I made a version of this a year ago, and it stuck with me. It’s the only pumpkin cake ever that I have not been able to stop eating. It’s that good. And it’s also that good for you. Plus, all of my gluten-free friends who thought that good crumb cake was a thing of the past can rejoice. It’s easy to make a good crumb topping with dietary restrictions! You just have to know how.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

November 26, 2014
Mir
Pie Day, Pies
12 Comments

Okay, this is my third pie of the week. Don’t worry, I’m not tired of it yet!

Ordinary pie flavors are great, don’t get me wrong. I love pumpkin pie and pecan pie, and I’ve never been able to resist a good key lime. But I really like being creative when I bake, so a lot of what I do goes a touch beyond the norm.

When I first saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I initially glimpsed it on Pinterest, the home of all that is good. I think it originated with Martha Stewart. Anyway, I made one or two small adjustments and here we go! Chocolate pumpkin pie.

Chocolate Caramel Chip Pumpkin Cookies

November 10, 2014
Mir
C is for COOKIE!
22 Comments

Last week, my daughters went to the pumpkin patch with their preschool. Yep, while I was working crazy hours to finish grading papers for first quarter, they were wandering around a farm, gazing at chickens and goats and picking pumpkins. Oh, to be four years old again.

When my eldest daughter got home, she shoved her pumpkin at me and said in her serious little-girl way, “My teacher says you have to make soup.”

I took the pumpkin, sighed (this is an annual struggle as I literally cook the fruits of my childrens’ labor), and said, “How about cookies?”

Pumpkin Pound Cake

October 22, 2014
Mir
Cakes, Let Them Eat Cake
34 Comments

Time is scary.

I used to think that people who stretched as part of their exercise routine were total babies. At the time, I could push my body to crazy lengths and never feel a thing the next day except mild soreness.

Fast forward several years, and I’m no longer that brazen ignoramus. I’ve always been a hard-core exercise fanatic, but lately, I stretch with equal zeal and fervor. If I don’t, my body punishes me. And no matter what I do, that darned crick in my neck just won’t go away.

Pumpkin Snack Cake

September 15, 2014
Mir
Cakes, Gluten-Free Goodness, Healthier Indulgences, Let Them Eat Cake
12 Comments

I love the idea of a cookie jar. Growing up, that wasn’t something we had in our house. We had plenty of dessert options, mind you. Just not an actual jar with cookies inside. As a result, it’s always been sort of a dream for me to have a cookie jar.

Except, well, they’re often ugly. And breakable. And most aren’t airtight, so the cookies go bad faster. And when kids get home from school (or their exhausted teacher mom), a cookie isn’t necessarily the answer. Sometimes you want cake. Amazing snack cake. No, not Little Debbie’s (though I do miss those hydrogenated suckers). Healthy, delicious, homemade pumpkin snack cake.