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Recipe and photo copyright Martha Stewart

On our Facebook page, we asked our fans to tell us what they enjoyed baking most during the fall months. Manny Lim was kind enough to send over a recipe for his favorite fall treat – pumpkin whoopie pies!!

If you don’t already, please like us on Facebook and share your favorite fall recipes with us! We just might feature them on our blog!

Pumpkin Whoopee Pies – Original recipe by Robin Smith in Cooks Illustrated
Makes 18

Use pumpkin puree (sometimes calls packed pumpkin) for this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling.
Cookies:

• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4cup vegetable oil
•  2cups granulated sugar
•  2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 4cups all-purpose flour
• 4teaspoons baking powder
• 2teaspoons baking soda
• 1teaspoon table salt

Filling:

• 8tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool
• 4ounces cream cheese (1/2 package), at room temperature
• 3/4cup Marshmallow Fluff (3 1/2 ounces)
•  1/4teaspoon table salt
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4cups confectioners’ sugar , sifted

Instructions

1. For the cookies: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Stir pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in large bowl until well blended. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture until well incorporated.
3. Using small ice cream scoop (#30 is the perfect size) or tablespoon measure, drop 2 tablespoons of dough on prepared baking sheet. (You should fit nine scoops of dough on each sheet.) Spread dough into 2-inch rounds about 1/2 inch thick and spaced 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are just set and bottoms are lightly browned, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Slide cookies, still on parchment, to cooling racks. Cool baking sheets, line with fresh parchment paper, and repeat with remaining dough.

4. For the filling: With electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add Marshmallow Fluff and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 60 seconds. Beat in salt and vanilla until well blended, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Reduce speed to low and gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth, about 1 minute.
5. Spread 2 tablespoons filling on center of flat side of one cookie. Place flat side of second cookie on filling and press cookies together to bring filling to edges. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. (Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days)

Photo copyright verybestbaking.com

As you probably all know, we love macarons just as much as we love cupcakes! This pumpkin spice macaron recipe by Pixie Crust is perfect for fall. One of the best things about macarons is that they are naturally gluten-free, so this is a treat that almost anyone can enjoy!

Macaron cookie shells
(makes approximately 46 shells, depending on size)

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp almond meal
• 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 scant tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 egg whites (aged 24 hours at room temperature)
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp caster sugar (also called “baker’s sugar”)
• Orange gel food coloring

Sift almond meal and confectioner’s sugar together two times in a large bowl. Sift in pumpkin pie spice. Set aside dry ingredients.

Using a stand mixer, whisk egg whites on medium-low setting. Once foamy, add pinch of cream of tartar. When egg whites have soft peaks, slowly add in castor sugar. Increase mixer speed slightly and add gel food coloring. Continue whisking until whites form stiff peaks. Using an off-set rubber spatula, gently fold almond flour/confectioner’s sugar mixture into egg whites until no more lumps remain and mixture ribbons off the top of the spatula.
Place mixture in pastry bag and pipe into circles onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake at 275 degrees for about 15 minutes. Rotate cookies 10 minutes into baking time.

Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste

Combine the egg whites & sugar in a large metal bowl. Put the bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler-style), and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. The mixture will feel hot to the touch. Transfer the hot mixture to your stand mixer and whip on high speed until it turns white and about doubles in size. This will take about six minutes. Beat in the vanilla bean paste. Add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, on medium speed, mixing after each addition. Raise the speed and beat until smooth; this may take up to ten minutes. The mixture may appear curdled along the way; this is normal. Just keep beating and the mixture will become smooth again.

Once macarons have fully cooled, pipe a dollop of buttercream onto the center of one shell and gently press the other shell on top.

Photos and recipe copyright Pixie Crust

Here is a super fun cupcake recipe for Halloween by Cheeky Kitchen! We love everything about them: the black velvet cakes, the orange cream cheese frosting and the chocolate spooky trees that they’ve created as toppers!

Black Velvet Cupcakes with Haunted Chocolate Trees

Ingredients:

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

• 2 cups canola oil
• 2¼ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1¼ cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon black gel food coloring
• 3½ cups flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special Dark)
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• 1 (8 oz.) box cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• orange gel food coloring

Directions:

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and gel food coloring. In a second, medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Slowly start to beat the dry ingredients into the wet just until they are all fully incorporated. In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and vinegar. Beat into the batter until incorporated then spoon into muffin tins lined with cupcake wrappers. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or just until the center of the cupcakes bounce back when touched lightly. Cool completely before frosting.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter and shortening. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, then beat until light and fluffy. Color with food coloring, if desired.

Photo copyright Bake At 350

Candy Corn Cupcake Candle by candleconfections – $14.99. The candy corn decorations are just too cute! This candle smells like “sweet honey-vanilla.”

Pumpkin Buttercream Candle by Pookaberrys – $7. This soy candle is a blend of “spicy pumpkin and smooth rich buttercream” and we think the ghost on top makes it super fun!

Chocolate Fudge & Apple Cider Cupcake Candle by michellesthisandthat – $6. The chocolate fudge base scent is “a rich, dark chocolate swirled with ribbons of buttery caramel and vanilla creme, sprinkled with toasted almond slivers and creamy hazelnut” and the apple cider frosting scent is “mulled cider with woodsy notes of oak, cinnamon bark and cloves, with hints of wildberries.” Sounds great to us!!

Are you tired of making the same apple pie recipe every year around the holidays? How about mixing it up with this cranberry apple pie recipe by Hoosier Homemade? It’s a great twist on the classic recipe that we all enjoy during the fall and winter months.

Cranberry Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons apple cider or apple juice
• 5 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• Milk {for brushing on crust}
• Cinnamon and Sugar mixture {for sprinkling on crust}

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup Butter Flavor Crisco, Shortening, Butter or a combination
• 6-7 tablespoons ice cold water

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and apple cider
2. Bring to boil, stirring frequently
3. Boil gently for 5 minutes
4. Cool for 15 -20 minutes
5. In a large bowl, combine apples, 2/3 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, toss to coat
6. Stir in cooled cranberry mixture
7. Divide dough in half, roll out 1 piece and place in a pie plate
8. Fill with apple mixture
9. Roll out the other crust and place on top of filling
10. Seal and flute the edges, cut a few slits in the middle of the pie
11. Add foil around the edges of pie to prevent over browning
12. Bake at 425 degrees for about 45-55 minutes

Photos and recipe copyright Hoosier Homemade