in the kitchen: a few fall favorites

Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Squares

Pumpkin Pancakes 

 Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes 

And a new one we tried this morning...

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

 

Mini Apple Galettes (Sorry, no picture)

Apple Cinnamon
3-4 apples peeled, cored and sliced
a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar or maple syrup
a generous sprinkling of cinnamon a squeeze of lemon juice
Mix together and let sit.

no-fail dough:
makes 1 large galette or 8 minis
2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
12 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1/2 a cup of ice water as needed

-Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
-Cut in butter, blend until there are pea-sized pieces.
-Sprinkle on water, one tablespoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a ball.
-Press into a disk on counter and cut into eight pie slices.
-Refrigerate 6 slices while you work with the first two.
-Form each piece into a ball and roll into a disc (1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface.
-Keep dusting surface and rolling pin with flour to discourage sticking.
-Set each circle on a cookie sheet. I like to use unbleached parchment paper underneath...no mess.
-Place filling in center of disc with 1 1/2 to 2 inches left around the sides for folding up.
-Drizzle juices on top.
-Tuck your fruit in, overlapping the sides and pinching any opening along the bottom shut...to keep the juices in.
-Paint the exposed dough with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a little cream or milk) using a pastry brush (optional).
-Sprinkle crust with sugar(optional) .

-Bake at 375 degrees until golden and bubbly.

I think I just gained 5 pounds just looking at all these yummy baked goodies!