Do you love pumpkin? Of course you do! (Well, unless you’re Annie from With Sprinkles On Top.) I love pumpkin so much, I’d marry it if I were a polygamist. Too much?
Way back in August (sheesh, way back? waaah!), when I went to the Big Summer Potluck, I got to meet Abby Dodge, who was talking about recipe development, and did a demonstration of parfaits from her newest book, Desserts 4 Today. You caught that 4 instead of “for”, right? That clever little word play is meant to point out to you that every recipe in the book has just four ingredients. Four. Four.
If you have a sweet tooth like me, I don’t have to tell you how amazingly awesome it is to have an entire book of desserts at your fingertips that is just SO accessible. A quick thumb through the book showed me more recipes than I could count on two hands that I had the ingredients for right then. No trips to the grocery store, no specialty ingredients I’d never use again. Simple, beautiful desserts that would keep dinner party guests talking long after the party is over. I swooned. I really did. Especially when I saw the Nutella Brownie Bites. Let that sink in, would you – Nutella. Brownies.
They were the first recipe I made out of the book, and let me tell you, my mind was BLOWN. Literally, 15 minutes from ingredients gathering to pulling those little babies out of the oven. 15 minutes! You can’t even bake a roll of store bought cookie dough that quick, so why wouldn’t you make something homemade for your friends and family instead?
You know what’s really awesome? Abby’s sent me a 2nd book to give away here, to one of my lucky readers. Isn’t that amazeballs?! (That’s the new ‘it’ word: try it, it’ll make you giggle.)
The recipe for Nutella Brownie Bites had me reeling for days. I kept thinking: could it be applied to other ingredients? And then we had a cold snap, and my mind turned to all ingredients Autumnal. Apples.. hrm. Not really. Pumpkin? Now that has possibilities. Canned pumpkin has a very similar texture to Nutella, loose and paste-like.
It took me 3 tries, and I had to up the ingredient count to 5 for the basic recipe, plus a few added extras to make them pretty, but I did it. And they still took less than 25 minutes from pulling the ingredients out of the cupboard to pulling the bites out of the oven.
For your comparison, I’ve placed the two recipes side by side below. And below that are the sensational giveaway details!
| Nutella Brownie Bites makes 12 mini bites |
Pumpkin Spice Bites makes 16 mini bites |
|---|---|
| 1/2 c. Nutella
1 large Egg 5 TBSP All-Purpose Flour 1/4 c. Chopped Hazelnuts Abby’s Switch-Ins for the 4th ingredient include: Cinnamon or Chopped Peanuts Add Nutella and Egg to a bowl, stirring to combine completely. Add flour (and cinnamon if using) and stir again to combine. Line mini-muffin pan with paper cups, and fill to 3/4 full. Top with nuts and bake at 350F for 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely. |
1/2 c. Pumpkin puree
1 large Egg 1/2 c. Sugar 8 TBSP Self-Rising Flour 2 TBSP Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix together the Pumpkin puree, egg, and sugar until well combined. Add self-rising flour and pumpkin pie spice, stirring only until incorporated, like you would for a quick bread muffin. The bites in the photo were also topped with chopped pecans and maple sugar before baking. I highly recommend doing so, if you have them on hand. Using a mini muffin pan, line with paper cups. Fill 3/4 full and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. |
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The winner has been chosen! Via random.org, the winning comment was #23 – Maureen, who said:
“IN the fall I begin to make both pumpkin bread and I also make a dish called pumpkin crisp. The crisp always gets rave reviews and the family always wants this instead of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.
Maureen – I want that pumpkin crisp recipe!!! Thanks to everyone who entered, I loved hearing about your favorite pumpkin dishes!
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To win your very own copy of Abby Dodge’s Desserts 4 Today, you can do the following:
1. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to enjoy pumpkin.
2. Follow Abby Dodge on Twitter: @abbydodge
3. Follow me on Twitter: @BluebonnetBaker
Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. Only unique comments will count towards an entry, so make sure to leave a separate comment each time!
The contest closes Monday, October 4th at midnight EST. The winner will be contacted on Tuesday, October 5th for mailing information.[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Pumpkin Spice Bites & a Giveaway! – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Tickled Red
Monday 4th of October 2010
You don't have to enter me in the drawing but I wanted to say YUM!! Those look so good. I made the Nutella version now I am off to make these this weekend.
Jen @ How To: Simplify
Monday 4th of October 2010
I already follow @BluebonnetBaker on Twitter!
Jen @ How To: Simplify
Monday 4th of October 2010
I already follow @abbydodge on Twitter!
Jen @ How To: Simplify
Monday 4th of October 2010
Fall is my favorite season! I just bought six cans of pumpkin puree and I can't wait to enjoy it in cheesecake, cookies, breads, muffins...the list goes on and on! Yum!
stephanie
Monday 4th of October 2010
Hi again - it's me.
I am already following you on Twitter, my dear. So, does that count for another entry ?