under 30 minutes

real pumpkin pie

butter 1-2 hours, for sharing, pie, under 30 minutes 0 Comment

I got my hands on some pumpkins much too early for a traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, but… whatever! Let’s do it anyway! Also I forgot to take process pictures because I’m an amateur blogger now 🙁 Oh well.

Cut pumpkin(s) in half, remove seeds, and roast flat-side-down for about 20 minutes in a 400 deg oven, until soft. Let cool.

Separate flesh from skin and mash with a fork. Measure out filling weight needed.

7 oz pumpkin (roasted)
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
big dash cinnamon
small dash nutmet
small dash allspice
small amount grated fresh or powdered ginger

Mix all ingredients together until uniform. Pour into par-baked pie pan(s).

Bake at 400 deg for 5 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 deg for remaining bake time (ranges from 20~40 additional minutes). If crust is getting too toasty, tent with foil.

cream cheese frosting

butter under 30 minutes , 0 Comment
You need:
1 small bowl
Small whisk

Cream together 1/4 c unsalted butter and 8 oz cream cheese, both fully softened (in the microwave if needed). Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk in about 1 c powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp at a time until the frosting reaches your desired sweetness level and consistency. Note here that the frosting will get a tiny bit thicker as it cools. I used about 1 cup of powdered sugar and about only 1 out of 8 taste testers thought it was too sweet.

fresh blueberry pie

butter 1-2 hours, pie, under 30 minutes , , 1 Comment

DSCF2526Berry season is among us!!! Funny thing is, I never used to like blueberries, and now I blink and my snack bowl is empty. I think of them as the most superior among all berries, perhaps even higher-rated than strawberries, because they don’t have leaves to cut off. Rinse and consume, so simple and delicious. But here’s another option: put in something like 10 minutes of effort and come out with this fresh blueberry pie.
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lemon poppyseed cookies

butter cookies, under 30 minutes , 0 Comment

DSC_6908Muffin tops. Great when they’re on muffins, not so great when they’re on my hips. One can’t really have one without the other, though, and I’m willing to make that compromise I guess. But hold on, this isn’t a recipe for muffins. It’s a recipe for lemon poppyseed cookies that are basically the equivalent to the tops of lemon poppyseed muffins! Best part, amirite?
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pie crust

butter a test, pie, reference, under 30 minutes 1 Comment

DSC_6062I’ve been using my trusty food processor to make pie crusts for a couple years now, and love how easy and quick it is. But there were always lingering questions at the back of my mind – is an OG pastry blender better? Does a food processor over-blend? Could my pie crusts go from consistently delicious to consistently WOW???

I needed the answers. So I staged a comparison test.

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chocolate chip cookies

butter cookies, reference, under 30 minutes , 1 Comment

DSC_6470I love single bowl recipes. I love moist, chewy cookies. I love chocolate. Here is the chocolate chip recipe that you’ve been waiting for all your life. It doesn’t care if your butter is softened or melted. It doesn’t even care if your egg is room temperature or straight out of the fridge. All it cares about is being eaten within 24 hours, which is really not an issue at all.

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tiny flourless chocolate cake

butter cake, gluten free, under 30 minutes , 0 Comment

DSC_6361The main effect of this cake is to satisfy that chocolate cake craving we get around 9pm every night, without producing tempting leftovers that test our self control from the countertop for days afterwards.

The side effect of this cake is to remind you (me) that baking is easy, available, and always worth it. This is what I bake when I don’t want to wash my measuring cups. When I really want cake but I really don’t want to put on pants.

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