Dessert

Pumpkin Pie

Classic. Makes 2 pies, so you'll need 2 crusts. Alternatively, baking without a crust also works totally fine, but you have to watch the cook time because you'll probably want to bake in individual ramekins rather than in a pie plate.

Substituting oat milk and Miyoko's butter works just fine.

Ratios below the recipe for batches based on a single egg/scant cup of pumpkin puree. (Downscaling the recipe is a great way to use up leftover pumpkin.)

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4 eggs, beaten slightly
3½ c. pumpkin (the big can)
1⅓ c. sugar
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1 t. salt
Mix well.
4 T. butter, melted
1¾ c. milk, scalded
Heat together until butter is melted, either stovetop or in microwave. Add to the pumpkin mixture and stir together thoroughly.
2 pie shells, uncooked Pour into uncooked pie shells. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake up to another 35 minutes. Remove from oven when there is a roughly 4"-diameter ring of seemingly-uncooked filling in the center. Cool completely before cutting or serving.

Source: my great grandma

For each scant cup of pumpkin puree, you'll produce enough filling for two 7-oz ramekins plus one 4-oz ramekin. You'll use: 1 egg, scant 1 cup pumpkin, ⅓ c. sugar, heaping ¼ t. of each spice, 1 T. butter, scant ½ c. milk. Bake for 5 minutes at 450, then 8 minutes at 350 before checking every few minutes until just the center 1½ inches is still unset.

Rocky Road Cookies

The huge chocolate chocolate chip cookies -- one of the food stars of my car's 18th birthday.

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
1 c. butter, cold, cubed
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
Cream in a mixer for at least 4 minutes (time it!).
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Mix in. Mix for at least 1 minute, scraping as needed.
½ c. (60 g) cocoa powder
1 c. (120 g) cake flour
1½ c. (180 g) AP flour
1 t. cornstarch
3/4 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
Combine in a large bowl. Then fold into the wet ingredients, leaving some streaks because there's more dough working to come.
1.75 c. chocolate chips
2 c. mini marshmallows
3/4 c. cashews, chopped
Stir in.
Roll the dough into 5-6 oz. balls (roughly baseball size). Press a few extra chocolate chips and marshmallows into their tops.
Bake 9-11 minutes at 410 degrees. After removing from oven, use a silicon spatula to press the edges to the center to make each cookie round again. Let them rest on the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan to cool fully on a rack.

Source: modernhoney.com from Levain Bakery

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

An easy, light, thin cake.

Ingredients Step
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour a 9" round pan (springform is helpful).
1 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
Whisk together.
1/2 stick butter, ideally softened
2/3 c. white sugar
Beat together until pale and fluffy.
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. lemon zest. (optional)
Add. Mix in.
1 egg Add. Beat well.
1/2 c. buttermilk Alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk to make a batter. Smooth into prepared cake pan.
1 c. raspberries Scatter on top. Do not push in.
1.5 T. sugar Sprinkle on top.
Bake til golden and a toothpick inserted at center removes cleanly, ~15 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes in pan. Then turn onto a cooling rack for 10-15 (until warm).

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The soft and gooey chocolate chip cookies we made with Asher, which disappeared within 36 hours.

Ingredients Step
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 full size baking sheets with parchment.
3 c. AP flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
Combine dry ingredients.
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
Cream together.
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
Beat in until fluffy.
Incorporate dry ingredients.
12 oz. chocolate chips (2 c.) Mix in.
Roll into balls. Bake 6-10 minutes, until just barely starting to brown.
Cool on baking pan for 2 minutes, then remove to rack.

Source: joyfoodsunshine.com

Strawberry Cake

A dense cake that can hold up to heavy, wet fruit like strawberries or peaches.
Ingredients Step
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put parchment in bottom of 9" cake pan.
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 c. white sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
Beat together on medium-high, periodically scraping, until light, fluffy and creamy (~5 min). (No joke -- don't skimp on this. It's the secret to the cake.)
2 c/255 g AP flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Whisk together.
2 eggs Add eggs one at a time, scraping between each.
3/4 c. buttermilk Incorporate by halves with flour, just until no large lumps remain.
5 oz. strawberries, sliced into planks 1/4-inch thick Fold in to batter. Transfer batter and smooth.
5 oz. strawberries, sliced into planks 1/4-inch thick Scatter the second half of the berries atop cake.
3 T demerara sugar Sprinkle atop cake.
Bake until puffed, deeply golden on top, fully baked where strawberries meet cake, and pulling away at sides (~45-50 min).
Let cool completely, then remove from pan.
Source: NYT / Alison Roman