pumpkin

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 15×10-inch pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
• In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cloves. Add the pumpkin puree. Beat in the eggs one at a time followed by the oil. Spread batter in prepared pan.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips in the microwave.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining sugar. Add the egg and milk. Fold in the melted chocolate until the entire mix is consistently brown.
• Spoon the filling over the pumpkin batter. Use something like a butter knife to create swirls throughout the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips over the top.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool for a while at room temperature, then put in fridge to fully chill.
• Slice in pan to serve, or use the foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice. If keeping in pan, store covered in fridge; if removing from pan, be sure to use waxed paper between the stacked layers and store in fridge. Best eaten within 2 days.

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• Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
• Melt butter in microwave in microwave-safe bowl. Set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the melted butter. Gradually work in the dry ingredients until no white streaks remain. Spread about half to cover the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Begin making the filling/topping by mixing the white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place about half of that mixture in another bowl; stir in flour.
• Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon-flour mixture on top of the batter in the pan. Add the remaining batter on top and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture on top to coat.
• Bake for 45 to 55 minutes; the middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool in pan on wire rack, speeding process in fridge if desired. Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board to slice into bars.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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• Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Generously grease mini muffin pan(s).
• In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, molasses, eggs, and pumpkin. Add the starter and vanilla, scraping bottom of bowl to incorporate everything.
• In another bowl, mix flour, salt, spices, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until evenly combined. Fold in pepitas and cranberries to distribute.
• Use a small cookie scoop to dole out the batter. Each well in the pan should be about 2/3 full. Add a pinch of turbinado sugar on top of each.
• Bake for 10 to 11 muffins; they should look set, and a middle muffin should pass the toothpick test (don’t discard that toothpick). Let muffins set for 5 minutes, then use the toothpick to gently lift each out of pan and onto a cooling rack.
• Store in a sealed container, with waxed paper between layers if stacking. The muffins will be moister after a day, and hold up well for a couple days.

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Make the crust

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, espresso powder, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until everything forms pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons water and pulse the dough. If it comes together, great, but if not, add another tablespoon, pulse, then add another tablespoon if necessary. The dough should look crumbly but become cohesive when squeezed.
• Put dough on a strip of plastic wrap and pat into a disc shape. Encase in wrap and chill at least an hour, or a day or two.
• Sprinkle flour on a work surface then roll dough into a 12-inch round. Use the rolling pin to lift it onto a pie plate. Press into place, folding over extra at edges to crimp. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap (such as the one just used to chill dough) and freeze for at least an hour, or overnight.
• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line the crust with foil. Fill pie with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights–such as lifting them onto a rimmed baking pan to cool–and continue baking crust for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is golden all over. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Make the filling

• Whisk together heavy cream and espresso powder in a large bowl until the powder has dissolved. Add the pumpkin puree, white sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla paste and salt. Scrape the bottom a few times to incorporate everything.
• Pour filling into the cooled crust and smooth out the top. Bake until filling is set at edges but still slightly jiggly in center, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 3 hours.
• Store at room temperature, covered by foil. Slice and top with whipped topping. Pie is best eaten within 3 days.

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• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Gradually mix in the flour and pie spice. Roughly divide the dough in half, flattening each portion into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Tuck into the fridge overnight.
• Let dough sit out about 20 minutes to warm up enough to roll out. Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
• On a lightly floured flat surface, roll out one disc of cookie dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Portion out using the cookie cutter. Press the top of each round into the topping mix and then set, spaced out, on prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies ae set. Let sit on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat process with remaining dough, reassembling scraps to create more cookies. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, egg, and oil. Mix in the cake mix, pressing out any clumps. Add oats, pumpkin spice, walnuts, and cranberries, mixing until combined. Dough will be sticky. Use a spoon to form balls of dough to space out on baking sheet. If desired, sprinkle some turbinado sugar on each cookie.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set. Move to cool on a rack. Store in a sealed container with waxed paper between the stacked layers.

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