Sweet Pumpkin Spice Tamales

Homemade Tamales are a tradition around my little casa bonita. One thing that never fails to amaze me is the fact that people will almost unanimously cheer for regular savory tamales, but are a little stand off-ish at the mention of a sweet tamale. Honestly...it's an amazing little dessert, breakfast, or brunch. Such a sweet change. I make them almost identical in preparation and cooking. The only exception is the masa is sweet and the filling is sweet. There are many variations. Pumpkin is my personal favorite. You will need 6-8 clean dried corn husks, soaked in hot water. I do this soaking step well in advance. If you don't have corn husks, you can use an 8 inch square of parchment paper! It will work just as well. Parchment doesn't need to be tied, just rolled tightly, allowing the seam of the roll to be on the bottom and the edges to be folded under, again with the seams on the bottom.

Chef Tess' Pumpkin sweet tamales (yield 6-8 medium tamales)
For my tamale dough:
1 cup of Maseca for tamales
1 cup warm pumpkin puree (fresh or canned, I prefer fresh)
1/3 cup apple juice
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, slightly softened
1/2tsp ground Wise Woman of The East Spice Blend (pumpkin pie spice will work)
1 tsp vanilla
To make the dough:
Combine Maseca, baking powder, salt, and spice in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, apple juice and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients. Add pieces of the butter and whip well. Continue adding butter until it is all combined and smooth.

It should be spongy. Not soupy.
Take out the corn husks from the water, lay flat. Put about 1/2 cup masa dough in the middle of the corn husk and spread it out in a 2 inch circle.
Filling:
6-8 3 inch by 1/2 inch chunks of high quality chocolate (I prefer Guitard)
Fill and roll the same way as we did with the Homemade Tamales. Steam under a clean damp washcloth in a covered tamale steamer or steam insert. It takes about an hour.

Once tamales have cooked, remove from the corn husk, place on a plate and drizzle with chocolate sauce, carmel sauce, or maple syrup. Tara's filling for pumpkin whoopie pies warmed a few seconds and then drizzled over the top might make you cry. In a good way.

There you go. Enjoy.

Evil Tara's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

We had some pumpkin around here from the spooky holiday and decided it was time to finally delve into the cream cheese crack. Umm. That would be code for Evil Tara's Whoopie Pies. Traditionally the soft chocolate cookies with the creamy white frosting known as Whoopie Pies are well adored. I've seen them several times in various blog locations. By far my favorite post on them is Whoopie Pies by Ron Merlin. Very cool. I loved the recipe. Loved the cookies. So when Tara posted this insane recipe of hers on Face Book...well lets just say I was hooked.

I cut off the rind and cooked it in the crock pot about 3 hours, then mashed it really fine. You can use the canned stuff if you want.

Tara's original recipe:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Makes about 24 pies) Note: It is important to chill the pumpkin puree so that the pies keep their shape when you are scooping them out onto the baking sheet. Also if you are baking in batches keep the dough refrigerated between baking.

Whoopie Cookies

3 c flour

1 t salt

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

2 t cinnamon

2 t ginger

1 t cloves

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups chilled pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, set aside. In a separate bowl or mixer, whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined. Add the chilled pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. (If you are baking in batches, refrigerate the dough between batches.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan while you make the filling.

Cream Cheese Filling

3 ½ c powdered sugar

½ c butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

6 oz white chocolate*, melted and cooled

½ t orange extract

1 T orange zest

Chop the white chocolate and melt in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds then stir and microwave in 10 second increments until nearly melted. Stir until remaining small chunks melt entirely. Set aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar and orange extract and beat until smooth. Gently fold in the white chocolate and the orange zest. Do not over beat the filling, or it will lose structure. (The filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using.)

*Please use real white chocolate. White “confection,” “dipping chocolate,” “bark,” or “morsels” will not work. You know it’s white chocolate if in the ingredient list you see cocoa butter. If you can’t find white chocolate, it’s better to leave it out than to use the fake stuff.

So...The oranges on our tree where a little bit too green to use for frosting, but my boys got overzealous and picked some anyway. So, this is what we had...a zested green. Ironically, it still tasted very orange like...so we ate it anyway.

Resisted the urge to just put this jug right up to my lips and chug it. I did however lick the spoon...several times.

Tara's original picture is what really got me. I honestly imagined myself the size of a Smurf with my head smack dab in the middle of the cream cheese frosting. Aside from feeling really silly, I do imagine it would have been wonderful. No. I didn't rub the cream cheese frosting on my face to be sure.

Assembly

Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up). Using the same scoop used for the cookies or a tablespoon to drop a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of the cookie. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving. The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

Thanks be to Evil Tara, for her ever un-righteous cooking episodes. I, for one am all about the cream cheese crack now and then. Did I just type that out loud?
There you go!

Let Me Sleep You Crazy Man!

Deep Fried Fluffy Dough Logs of Love and Indescribable Happiness...

or Pumpkin Doughnuts...

I have a friend who had an incurable sickness called KK. Krispy Kreme. I have to say I don't blame him but I just can't bring myself to drive all the way across town to get a deep fried dough ball... So when he asked if I had a recipe for pumpkin doughnuts my evil and twisted mind floated back to the days when I was up all night, not with babies, but with doughnuts. I can't help confessing right here and now that I may have intentionally fumbled with a doughnut or two just so I could sample the "broken" ones... still warm out of the fryer. The security guards loved to come by my corner of the bakery late at night. They would find broken pieces of fritters and jelly filled Bismark just begging for a friendly visitor to sample them. So can I help it if now as a mom and at home late at night I can't shut off my brain and end up in the wee hours concocting something as evil as a deep fried yeast raised fluffy pumpkin doughnut covered in maple glaze... and then topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, chocolate chunks and toasted almonds. Is it wrong? I may not be right in the head, but tell me these doughnuts look amazing! I'm telling you right now, if I could only eat with my eyes, I'd be a size 6. I really need to stop answering emails... those little voices in my head that beg for a recipe that has never been tackled. This was one of those voices. Thanks a lot. Mr. Evil. Now if I could only make this thigh fit in my pant leg...

Pumpkin doughnuts1 cup warm milk (not too hot now)
2 tsp active dry yeast (1 pkg)
1 tsp salt
1 cup packed canned pumpkin
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
4 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp almond extract
Vegetable shortening ( for frying)

Directions:
Put the milk, yeast, sugar, pumpkin in a mixer with a whisk and mix until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Mix with a dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes (by hand about 300 turns). Put dough in a covered bowl and raise about 1 hour until doubled. Lightly flour a counter top and roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts or bars. I like the bars. Allow to raise uncovered 1 hour. Using a heavy pot and a thermometer, heat about 4 inches of oil to 360 degrees (with a candy thermometer). Lower the doughnuts into the hot fat, and brown on one side then carefully turn over. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all the doughnuts are cooked (this yields 16 good size bars or about 20 doughnuts and holes). When cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting or glaze with a maple glaze.

Maple glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3T hot water
1/4 tsp maple flavor
dash of salt.
Mix until smooth and spread over doughnuts with a silicone brush.