Cream Puffs

I was wondering what to serve for dessert for our harvest crew, my Mom suggested cream puffs. I've never made them before, but she assured me it was easy and I'd wonder why I'd never made them before. She was right. :)

• 1/2 cup butter/margarine
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a baking sheet. In a saucepan, combine butter and water. Bring to a boil. All at once, beat in flour and salt. Continue cooking, beating hard until mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Then add, one at a time, 4 eggs. Beat hard until smooth and glossy after adding each egg. Chill the dough.* Drop batter from spoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until light and golden. Turn off oven and let dry in oven. Cool. Fill with sweetened whipped cream.

* I skipped the step about chilling the dough and they turned out fine.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Mmm....nothing like baking with pumpkin in fall. So yummy!

For the Filling:

- 8 oz cream cheese, softened

- 1 cup icing sugar

For the Muffins:

- 3 cups flour

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp nutmeg

- 1 tsp ground cloves*

- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 4 large eggs

- 2 cups sugar

- 2 cups pumpkin puree

- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

For the Topping**:

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 5 tbsp flour

- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 4 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar and mix until well blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log and reinforce with a piece of tinfoil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins preheat the oven to 350. Combine flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. With electric mixer combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil until just blended. Then add dry ingredients. Mixing until just incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Put into fridge until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling. Be sure to allow the muffins to cool completely before serving. The filling will be very hot!

These taste even better the next day if you can resist them.

* I used Epicure's Pumpkin Pie Spice in place of the cloves, as I didn't have any on hand.

** Topping amount is generous. Half of the amount would be plenty.

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in water. (Batter will be thin.) Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

4. Prepare Chocolate Frosting; spread between layers and over top and sides of cake.

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add icing sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

2. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.