Pumpkin Pie Bites

If you like Pumpkin Pie you'll LOVE these!
For me, I like the crust best, so this is a good bite of crust with just enough pumpkin that just makes you go mmmm......
Try them I guarantee you'll like them!

Pumpkin Pie Bites

2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Optional1/2 cup chocolate morsels
vegetable oilre-sealable plastic bags
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray.
(Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)
Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.
Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.

I just made whippng ceam and dolloped it on top but heres Bakerellas ideas

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle or draw faces on pies.
Note: The cutter I used was 3 3/4 inches wide, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Just use a round cutter around that size or slightly smaller to cut circle shapes out of the dough. Then make stems with the scraps. Press each stem over the edge and down the side of the dough before filling.
Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
Enjoy!

Coconut Custard

Coconut Custard

4 eggs
6 T. brown sugar
1 C. coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
powder sugar
fresh fruit - we used fresh mango (sprinkled with a little sugar)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add the coconut milk and vanilla extract and whisk well.
Strain the mixture into a jug or pitcher; then pour it into lightly greased four individual heat proof glasses, ramekins or an oven proof dish.
Stand individual dishes in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the custards are set. Test with a fine skewer or toothpick.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven, lift out the dishes to cool.
If you like, turn the custards on to serving plates. Decorate the custard with a dusting of powder sugar, and serve with fresh fruit. 

Cake Pops

Very Easy Dessert -

Pick your favorite cake ( I did chocolate and lemon for these )

1.Follow the directions and bake the cake.

2. Let cake cool completely

3. Add 1 - 1 1/2 cups frosting

4. Mix in with the cake using a fork ( or wash your hands and use your fingers )

5. Make a batter - kind of like play dough. but it needs to be farely cakey not so much gooey.

6. Freeze for a little while just until its set up enough that you can take a mini ice cream scoop - or a cookie scoop I guess is what it is, and scoop out balls.

7. Freeze

8. put sticks in ( however if your freezer has room I'd put the sticks in first - then freeze )

9. Dip in melted chocolate and sprinkles

10. let set up ( you may need to put back in fridge )

You have to kind of work fast so the melted chocolate doesn't cool, I do about 10 at a time for this reason.

I think a few other good flavors to try would be carrot cake and cream cheese frosting, or strawberry cake and strawberry frosting - just a few ideas

Go to Bakerella.com ( I think - it could be a blogspot? ) for more ideas and probably better directions

Creamsicle Cupcakes with Tang Buttercream

Orange Cupcakes

Makes about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup orange juice (made a bit stronger than usual)

1 tsp. orange extract

2 tsp. orange zest (chopped to a paste)

3 cups flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)

3 eggs (separated)

1/8 tsp. cream of tarter

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prep muffin tins with cupcake liners

2. Combine orange juice, extract and zest. Set aside.

3. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. Beat unsalted butter, and sugar until light and fluffy.

5. Add egg yolks one at a time, until fully incorporated. Scrape down bowl.

6. Add in flour mixture alternating with orange juice mixture, just until fully incorporated.

7. In separate bowl (I prefer metal) beat egg whites with cream of tarter until stiff peaks form, but before the whites turn dry...they should be shiny still, but when you lift the whisk, the peak should just bend.

8. Gently fold the whites into the cake batter.

9. Fill cups 1/2 full.

10. Bake for about 20 minutes until they rise just above the edge and look golden brown on the top. When you touch one in the center of it, it should spring back nicely.

Tang Buttercream

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Tang Powdered drink mix

1 1/2 Cups heavy cream1 lb. unsalted butter (softened)

1/2 lb. salted butter (softened)

1/2 pkg. french vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup (or more to suit your tastes) powdered sugar

1. In easy to pour container, combine the Tang and heavy cream, set aside.

2. Beat the butter until soft.

3. Add the pudding mix and beat until light and fluffy.

4. Slowly add in Tang mixture, little bit at a time to avoid splash ups. Get it all in there though.

5. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Beat the hell out of the buttercream until it is light and fluffy and silky smooth.

These cupcakes are SO good! I got them from my friends blog fieldsofcake.blogspot.com

I do not use as much butter in the frosting as she does I use maybe 3 cubes of salted butter just because thats what I usually have on hand. I will add the 4th cube if it doesn't look like there is enough.

The cupcakes are filled with the buttercream as well. All you do is make a hole in the top of the cupcake. Pipe the frosting in. Put the cake hole back on top.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

ingredients:

2 boxes Devil's food cake

1/2 cup shortening or 2/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Mix together, roll into 1 inch balls. place on cookie sheet and flatten with a drinking glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake 350 for about 10 minutes.

Cool on pan or cooling rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting and put two cookies together to make an oreo.

You can make your own frosting or you can use store bought. To make your own:

8 oz cream cheese (Softened)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter

2 cups powder sugar.

Enjoy!