Pumpkin brownies are one of my favorite fall treats to bake because I am a huge pumpkin pie fan and like just about any dessert that gets those delicious pumpkin spice flavors into it. I first make Pumpkin Brownies with Pecans a couple of years ago, and I’ve been making them ever since. Unlike regular brownies, these don’t have any chocolate in them. What they do have a chewy, fudgy texture that is a lot like that of brownies or blondies, and a great pumpkin flavor. The brownies use canned pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin puree) to provide a moist, dense base for the bars, and are seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Chopped pecans add some texture and crunch to the bars, and contrast well with the pumpkin. They’re faster and easier to make than pumpkin pie – not to mention that they’re more portable and easy to share – so they’re a great snack to whip up on a fall day.
The bars are easy to make, but since it’s an unusual recipe, I’ve put together a step-by-step video (that I hope will be one of the first of many to come) showing the process of how to make Pumpkin Brownies from start to finish. Don’t forget to check out the full recipe from the original post so that you can try baking a batch yourself, too!
Standard cake pans are usually round or square, and they are used for all kinds of cakes, cookies and other desserts. If you’re going to have just one pan, it’s a good idea to have one of a standard size because it gives you the most versatility. But the standard pans aren’t the one ones on the market. There are specialty pans in every theme you could think of – from rubber ducks to dinosaurs to pans that actually put the designs on the inside of the cake – and as long as you have the room to store an extra pan or two, they are hard to resist. They’re great for practicing your cake decorating or for making that perfect cake for a special someone’s birthday (and kids love the shaped cakes that have their favorite characters on them). Did you ever wonder how these shaped cake pans are developed? At the Wilton Piece of Cake Blog, they put together a great little video that shows how these pans are designed from start to finish.
The video is posted below and it is very interesting to see how many steps go into making and testing each of these pans. If also makes me want to come up with my own designs, but with so many on the market I’m pretty sure I could find any design that I could come up with!
A few years ago, I published a recipe for Vampire Cupcakes. I absolutely love these cupcakes as a Halloween treat and I make them every year. They’ve also been a big hit with Twilight fans, True Blood fans and anyone who likes vampires in general. They also inspired me to create other vampire treats for Halloween, like Vampire Cookies and even Vampire Pancakes. Nothing beats the original, however, so I put together a step-by-step video tutorial on how to make Vampire Cupcakes to walk you through the process!
The cupcakes are white cupcakes filled with an oozing “blood” filling. They are a fantastic dessert for any Halloween party and, if anything, taste even better than they look. The cupcakes alone are incredibly fluffy and tender, one of my favorite recipes. The full recipe can be found here on the original post. The recipe for the cupcakes is also included at the end of the video! Enjoy
