Category Archives: Homemade

Cherry & Ginger Amaranth Oat Cookies

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Yields 30

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, cubed and softened
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon dark molasses
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups whole rolled oats
  • 1 cup puffed amaranth grains
  • 1 cup dried sour cherries
  • ½ cup crystallised ginger, roughly chopped

Method

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add both the sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed
  2. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine
  3. While the butter and sugars are creaming, Whisk the flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt together in a separate medium bowl. Set aside until needed
  4. Once the butter and sugars have been creamed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined.
  5. Once fully combined, fold in the oats, dried cherries and crystalised ginger. Your dough should be quite thick and sticky. Cover and chill the dough for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
  7. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough, about 3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place well apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 13-14 minutes or golden brown. The edges will appear slightly darker than the centre of the cookie
  8. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

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Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 1 standard serving slice leftover pumpkin pie (homemade or store-bought)
  • 1 cup vanilla ice cream
  • 3/4 cup full-fat milk

Optional to finish

  • Whipped cream
  • Additional pie crust crumbs
  • Sprinkles

Method

  1. In a blender combine the pie slice, ice cream and milk
  2. Blend at high speed until just combined. I prefer a slightly smooth shake with some pieces of pie crust left for texture. If you prefer a smoother shake texture, blend together for a longer period of time
  3. Decant into a milkshake glass and top with whipped cream and, if using, additional pie crust crumbs and sprinkles
  4. Sip and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Bites

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Yields 10-12, depending on scoop size. This recipe has been made using 1/2 leftover 8inch pumpkin pie

Ingredients

  • Leftover pumpkin pie (homemade or store-bought)
  • 4oz milk chocolate chips*
  • 4oz semi-sweet chocolate chips*

To finish

  • Sprinkles, or chopped roasted nuts

Method

  1. Place the left over pumpkin pie into a large bowl and break/ mic together to combine. You don’t smooth a mixture as these taste better with some texture from the original leftover pumpkin pie crust. Continue until you have a semi-smooth mixture
  2. Using a cookie scoop, place balls of the mixture onto a lined tray or container that will fit in your freezer compartment.
  3. When all the mixture has been scooped onto the tray, place it in the freezer for about 30 mins
  4. Just before removing the pumpkin pie balls from the freezer, combine both the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of water and melt together until smooth
  5. Remove the pumpkin pie balls from the freezer and one at at time roll in the melted chocolate. Place back onto the lined tray, add sprinkles if using and allow the chocolate to fully set
  6. Serve and enjoy!

Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Puddings

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Makes 6

Ingredients

Pumpkin Puddings

  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup pitted prunes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 cup natural pumpkin puree

Toffee Sauce

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 medium Tonka bean, finely grated (can be substituted with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • 2 teaspoons Rum (or omit for a kiddy-friendly version)

Method

Pumpkin Puddings

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease, or spray with baking spray, 6 mini-savarin or mini-Bundt tins
  2. In a small heatproof bowl, pour orange juice followed by the boiling water over the chopped prunes; stir in the baking soda. Stir together to combine and set aside to soak for about 15-20 minutes until softened
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice and salt. Set aside until needed
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the brown sugar at medium speed until fluffy and combined
  5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until combined, followed by the maple syrup
  6. Reduce speed to low, beat in the flour mixture in stages until just combined, scraping down bowl between additions
  7. Add the date mixture (including liquid) followed by pumpkin purée, and beat at low speed until just combined
  8. Divide the batter into the prepared mini-pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes*
  9. Remove from oven, and continue to Finishing Steps

Toffee Sauce*

  1. With about 5 minutes left on the pumpkin pudding baking time, in a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, finely grated tonka bean and the rum (if using)
  2. Bring to a gentle boil over moderate heat, stirring to melt the butter and sugar, cooking until slightly thickened and deep golden, about 3 minutes.
  3. Keep warm on a low heat until serving

To Finish

  1. Once you remove the puddings from the oven, using a skewer or toothpick, poke holes all over the exposed surface
  2. Spoon 4-5 teaspoons of the warm toffee sauce over the puddings, and let stand until absorbed, about 10 minutes
  3. Serve warm, turned out onto plates (they may take some gentle persuasion!) with some of the remaining sauce spooned over. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Pumpkin Spice Cookie Shake

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Yields 1 shake

Ingredients

Spiced pumpkin puree

  • 3 teaspoon pumpkin spice
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Milkshake

  • 10 oz quality vanilla ice cream
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup spiced pumpkin puree (see recipe above)
  • 1/3 cup cookies, broken to pieces, eg Oreos
  • Whipped cream to finish
  • Additional crushed cookie pieces, to finish

Method

For the spiced pumpkin puree

  1. Stir together the pumpkin spice and pumpkin puree until well blended. Set aside

For the milkshake

  1. Combine ice cream, milk, spiced pumpkin puree in blender container. Blend until smooth. Add the chocolate chip cookie pieces. Pulse to blend
  2. Pour milkshake mixture into tall milkshake/ sundae glass. Garnish with whipped cream and crushed cookie pieces
  3. Serve and enjoy!

*Makes enough spiced pumpkin puree for 4 shakes. Store any surplus in an air-tight container and refrigerate.