Double Pumpkin Muffins

By: Marilyn Bentz-Crowley

These high-topped muffins are delicious with the combination of orange and spice enhancing pumpkin's robust taste. Hulled green pumpkin seeds are easily found at health food stores. Store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Streusel Topping
2/3 cup (150 mL) all-purpose flour
½ cup (125 mL) icing sugar
½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder
¼ cup (50 mL) butter, melted
¼ tsp (1 mL) pure vanilla extract
¼ cup (50 mL) green pumpkin seeds


Muffins
½ cup (125 mL) green pumpkin seeds
3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (175 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
¼ tsp (1 mL) each of grated nutmeg and all-spice
1 small or ½ large orange
1 egg
1 cup (250 mL) pure pumpkin purée (not sweetened pie filling-see Tip below)
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
½ cup (125 mL) butter, melted
Icing sugar, for topping, optional

1. To make streusel, stir flour with icing sugar and baking powder. Stir in melted butter and vanilla until moist crumbs form. Set aside with raw pumpkin seeds.

2. To make muffins, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

3. Coat 12 standard muffin tin cups liberally with nonstick spray or butter, including top of pan for easy release of large muffins. Spread ½ cup (125 mL) pumpkin seeds on a shiny baking tray; bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until a few seeds turn colour. Cool on a rack.

4. Meanwhile, stir flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Make a well. Finely grate zest from orange and squeeze ¼ cup (50 mL) juice. Lightly beat egg; stir in pumpkin purée, buttermilk, juice, vanilla and zest.

5. Stir pumpkin mixture and butter into flour until mostly moistened. Then stir in toasted pumpkin seeds until well-mixed; divide batter among cups, heaping slightly in centre. (Batter completely fills cups.) Sprinkle with raw pumpkin seeds; then liberally with streusel crumbs. Press seeds and crumbs gently into muffin tops.

6. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 25 to 28 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer inserted into muffin centre comes out clean and tops are lightly golden. Rest on cooling rack for 5 minutes; then lift each muffin with the aid of a dull kitchen knife out of pan onto rack. Cool completely; to serve, lightly sieve a spoonful of icing sugar over muffin tops, if desired. (Covered muffins keep well for a day or 2 at room temperature or freeze air-tight for up to 2 weeks.)


Tip Pumpkin purée freezes well for months if pre-measured and spooned into freezer bags. Flatten purée in bags, excluding as much air as possible before sealing, and freeze flat for swift thawing.

Makes 12 large muffins

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Chocolate Macadamia Florentines

By: Anna Olson

These are truly a pastry chef’s cookie. More like a candy, it’s hard to believe that such small measurements of ingredients yield so many cookies, but they do. Tips for success include using a Teflon-coated mini-muffin pan or a flexible silicone pan for easy removal of the baked cookies. It is also important to measure ½ teaspoon (2 mL) of filling into each cup—this will ensure they all bake evenly in their pan. And lastly, don’t wander too far from the oven—the difference of just 30 seconds can mean the difference between a perfectly golden Florentine and an “over-caramelized” Florentine.

½ cup (125 mL) whole salted macadamia nuts
¼ cup (50 mL) whipping cream
¼ cup (50 mL) sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) corn syrup
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter
¾ cup (175 mL) good-quality chocolate chips or chopped coating chocolate (available at bulk stores)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. Generously grease 24 mini-muffin cups.

3. Pulse macadamia nuts in food processor until coarse crumbs.

4. Combine whipping cream, sugar, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepot over medium-high heat. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in macadamia nuts.

5. Measure ½ tsp (2 mL) of mixture into each well-greased muffin cup. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until a deep golden brown (watch oven carefully—once Florentines start browning, they progress quickly). Let cookies cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes. To remove, use a bamboo skewer or the tip of a paring knife and push down the side of cooled cookie gently (rotating the tool slightly helps pop the cookie out).

6. Melt chocolate chips or coating chocolate in microwave on medium heat, stirring every 10 seconds. Brush the bottom of each Florentine with melted chocolate and place on a clean, parchment-lined baking tray until set. Alternatively, Florentines can be drizzled with melted chocolate. Florentines will keep up to a week in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen

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Chocolate Caramel Tarts

By: Lucy Waverman

These decadent tarts combine two favourite flavours, caramel and chocolate. When making tart shells you need a slightly sturdier pastry than a regular sweet dough. It needs to be removed easily from the tartlet shells and weighting the shells with rice or beans takes too much time. This dough is made like a cookie dough to avoid these problems. As tartlet tins come in different sizes, use what you have - even small muffin tins work. Measure the top of the tin and use a cutter 1-inch (2.5-cm) bigger than the cup.

Pastry

3/4 cup (175 mL) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water

Caramel

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 mL) water
1 tsp (5 mL) corn syrup
1/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream

Chocolate

8 oz (250 g) European bitter or semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla essence

1. Place butter, salt and sugar in food processor. Process until mixture is light and fluffy. Add flour and water and just combine. Remove from processor and shape into a flat disc. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out pastry about 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut circles to fit your tartlet tins. Ease pastry into tins and if it breaks then pat together again. If there is enough pastry make a rim around tart. Chill pastry for 30 minutes to allow it to relax. Prick base of pastry with a fork.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
4. Bake tartlets 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool in tins. Remove before filling them.
5. Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy pot. Bring to boil and boil until sugar turns an amber colour, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream until well incorporated. Stir occasionally as mixture cools. Chill until mixture thickens.
6. Break up chocolate and place in a heavy pot with 1 cup (250 mL) cream. On low heat slowly melt chocolate, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
7. Stir in egg and vanilla and continue to stir together until mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Cool.
8. Place 1 tsp (5 ml.) caramel in base of tart. Fill with chocolate mixture. Refrigerate tarts until chocolate mixture is set.
9. For an optional garnish, pipe tart with whipping cream or top with gold flakes or balls.

Makes 24 tarts

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