Pumpkin Roll

Mmmmm.

Easy.

Impressive.

Festive.

Did I mention, Mmmmm?

Pumpkin Roll:

3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 c. pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 t. lemon juice

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan, press into sprayed pan and then spray again. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine. Add lemon juice, followed by dry ingredients - pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and flour. Beat until combined.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Once you remove it from the oven turn the cake out onto another piece of parchment paper. Carefully roll up the cake in the parchment paper, lengthwise. Let it cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack.

While the cake is cooling make the frosting.

Place cream cheese and butter in bowl. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, beat until well blended.

Once cake has cooled, gently unroll it and spread with frosting. Immediately re-roll the cake, without the parchment and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. You may also freeze it at this point for up to 2 weeks.

Cut the cake into slices right before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

This cookie EASILY makes it into my

top 5 favorite cookies.

Easily.

They are soft, chewie, chocolaty and just plain yummy.

I dare you to eat just one.

Homemade Oreo Cookies:

Cookie Dough:

2 devil's food cake mixes

1/2 c. butter

1 c. oil

4 eggs

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 4 minutes. Remove to rack to cool.

Frosting/Filling:

4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

When cookies have cooled completely fill with frosting and just see how long they last:)

Bon Appetit!

Raspberry Cream Breakfast Braid

I love-love-love pastries.

I love creating them, making them and eating them.

This one is a culmination of a couple different recipes.

I used the "Amish Bread" recipe for the bread portion and took

the filling from another recipe "Braided Lemon Bread."

I used raspberry jam instead of lemon curd since that's

what I had on hand. I'll include the lemon curd recipe if you'd like

to give it a whirl.

Raspberry Cream Breakfast Braid:



1/2 recipe Amish White Bread recipe for 1 braid, or a full recipe for 2 braids

Amish White Bread: ***these proportions are for the full recipe***

2 c. warm water

1/3 c. sugar

1 1/2 T. yeast

1 1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. vegetable oil

5 1/2 c. flour



Filling: (enough for 1 braid)

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 T. sugar

2 T. sour cream

2 T. flour

2 t. lemon juice

1/2 c. raspberry jam or lemon curd

Combine all ingredients except for the jam/curd, in a small bowl, set aside.

Lemon Curd: (enough for 1 braid)

3 T. fresh lemon juice
3/4 t. lemon zest, finely chopped
3 T. sugar
1 large egg
2 T. butter, cut in small pieces

Whisk together lemon juice, zest, sugar and egg in a medium saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking often, until curd is thick enough to hold whisk marks and first bubbles appear on the surface - about 5 minutes. Transfer the curd to a bowl and chill, it's surface covered with plastic wrap until cold about 1 hour. Makes just slightly less than 1/2 cup.

************************

For the dough, using a Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast - stir to dissolve. After the yeast has proofed and become creamy looking add the oil and salt. One cup at a time, incorporate the flour until your dough comes together, with a little stickiness. You can always add more flour if the dough proves difficult to handle after the first rising.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Let the dough rise until doubled.

Once doubled, punch the dough down and turn the dough out onto a greased cookie sheet. Using a rolling pin create a rectangle, rolling the dough to somewhere between 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch thick. By looking at the dough, divide your rectangle into thirds and spread the filling mixture down the middle third of your rectangle. Spread the jam or lemon curd on top of the cream cheese filling. To form the braid, cut crosswise strips 1 inch apart down the outer length of your dough, careful not to cut into the middle with the filling.

To begin "braiding" begin by folding the top flap and bottom flap over the filling. Lift the top dough strip diagonally across filling and repeat with the other side, continuing all the way down the dough until you get to the end. At this point tuck to last strip decoratively under the braid.

I like to used melted butter to brush over the braid, but you may use an egg wash if you prefer.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until quite puffy, about 45 minutes depending on how warm your "warm spot" is.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Let it set for 15-20 minutes, and serve warm. You may also drizzle with frosting or sprinkle with coarse sugar if you like.

Bon Appetit!