Pumpkin Fritters

Pumpkin Fritter, a staple in our house when I was a child. My Mother made these often, but they had to be served with cinnamon and sugar. I loved them, but I've never quite got them right, until now. I always tended to put too much flour and left the pumpkin too wat, so the batter would be too runny. These are just right!

These fritters can be made either as a dessert and served with cinnamon-sugar, or as a side dish with beef, pork or ham, and they go surprisingly well with fish! The sweetness-with-spice is typical of the cooking style of the then Cape Malays. It's a down-home comfort dish and ideal for left-over pumpkin.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pumpkin, dry
125ml flour
2.5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
10ml baking powder
30ml white sugar
2 large eggs
oil for frying
cinnamon sugar, if used

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a processor.

If not using a processor, put in a mixing bowl, and mix well.

Add the eggs, and process well until a thick batter forms -- or mix well in the mixing bowl. The batter should almost hold its shape when tested with a spoon.

If the batter is too stiff, add a tiny amount of milk. If by any chance it is runny, add more flour.

Heat oil in a pan, using medium to high heat to start with.

Scoop up heaped tablespoons of batter, and drop into pan, but not too close together. You won't have huge fritters as some of the batter will stay clinging to the spoon.

Fry until firm and golden on the underside, then flip over and fry on other side.

The fritters will puff up slightly and keep their shape, but will deflate a bit as you take them out of the pan. To test for doneness, press very lightly on the fritters. When done, they will tend to spring back. If still uncertain, press harder: no batter should run out the sides.

Serve warm, either as a side dish, or as a dessert with plenty of crunchy cinnamon-flavoured sugar.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients:
80ml brown sugar (not packed)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
190ml white sugar
125g butter, softened
2 eggs
7.5ml teaspoons vanilla extract
375ml all-purpose flour
10ml teaspoons baking powder
125ml milk
1 apple, peeled and chopped

Method:
Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. Beat white sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated; add vanilla extract.

Combine flour and baking powder together in another bowl; stir into creamed butter mixture. Mix milk into batter until smooth. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Next add half the apples and half the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.

Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and add more brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a finger or spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

Quick Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:

For the filling:
190ml cup dark brown sugar
60ml granulated sugar
10ml cinnamon
1ml ground cloves
1ml salt
15ml melted butter, melted and cooled


For the dough:
625ml all-purpose flour
30ml granulated sugar
7.5ml teaspoons baking powder
2.5ml baking soda
310ml cups buttermilk
100g unsalted butter (divided), melted and cooled


For the icing:
30ml cream cheese, softened
30ml buttermilk, milk, or heavy cream
250ml powdered sugar

Method: 

Preheat oven to 220°C . Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.

To make your filling:
Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and toss with fork until it looks like wet sand. Set aside.


To make your dough: 
Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add 30ml melted butter to the buttermilk and whisk to combine. Add milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed. Your dough will look a little shaggy--this is okay. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth. This took about 10 kneads for me. 


Using your hands, pat the dough into a 12 x 9 rectangle. Brush with 30ml of the melted butter, then sprinkle the filling mixture on top, leaving 1/2-inch border around the edges. Press the filling down lightly so it will stick to your dough.


Starting with the long side of your dough, roll dough to form a tight cylinder . Pinch the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife or dental floss, cut the dough into 8 equal segments. Slightly flatten each bun to seal your open edges and keep your filling inside. Put one roll in the centre of a 9-inch cake pan. Place the remaining 7 buns around the perimeter of the pan. Brush the tops with the remaining 30ml melted butter.


Bake until the edges of the buns are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. If desired, remove buns from pan to a wire rack. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before icing.


To make the icing: 
Whisk cream cheese and buttermilk/milk/cream together in a medium bowl. Whisk in powdered sugar until mixture is smooth. Spoon glaze over buns, and enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Biscuits

Ingredients:
310g butter
125g softened cream cheese
15ml vanilla extract, divided
5ml dry active yeast
250ml sugar
3 ¾ cups flour
2.5ml salt
125ml brown sugar
20ml cinnamon
45ml whole milk
1 cup icing sugar

Method:

Mix 10ml vanilla extract with 5ml of dry active yeast. 

Cream the butter, cream cheese, vanilla with yeast, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy—2-3 minutes. Turn the mixer on low. Add the salt, then slowly add the flour. Scrape the bowl and mix until well combined.

Press the dough into a flat disk. Wrap and refrigerate the dough for (at least) 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

Cut the dough in half and leave one half in the fridge while working with the first half. Flour a piece of wax paper and roll the dough into a 7 X 18 inch rectangle that is approximately ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar over the dough leaving 1 1/2 inches bare along the long edge. Starting on the cinnamon covered side, carefully roll the dough tightly toward the bare edge. You may want to cut the dough into two sections to make the rolling easier. 

At this point, you can place the rolls back in the fridge and save for weeks if needed. 

Press the seam firmly, then cut the roll into 1/3-1/2 inch slices and lay on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough and cinnamon sugar. 

Bake for 9-12 minutes. Cool completely. Then whisk the powdered sugar, milk and remaining vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Dip the face of each cookie into the glaze and set on a rack to dry.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Made with browned butter and a heaping dose of brown sugar, these cookies are certain to be a hit!

Soft and gooey on the inside, crispy on the outside and packed nutty and caramel flavours. 

Simply incredible!

If you haven’t experienced browned butter yet, you are seriously missing out. It has a way of giving cookies a nutty richness and depth that regular plain butter just can’t replicate. And all of that brown butter really shines through in these biscuits!

Ingredients:

250g unsalted butter
700ml all-purpose flour
10ml cream of tartar
5ml baking soda
15ml plus 10ml cinnamon, divided
2.5ml salt
2 large eggs
15ml whole milk
250ml plus 45ml granulated sugar, divided
125ml packed light brown sugar

Method:

In a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Continue cooking for 1-3 minutes, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed for 5-7 minutes to cool the butter to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, 5ml of cinnamon and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until combined.

When the butter has cooled, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the browned butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar about 2 minutes until combined and no lumps remain. With the mixer on low, slowly add the egg mixture beating until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, beating just until the dough comes together. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 200°C . Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place the remaining 45ml sugar and 20ml of cinnamon for rolling in a shallow bowl.

Roll about two heaping tablespoons of dough into a ball between your palms, roll the ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and then place it on the prepared baking sheet spacing the balls about 2 inches apart. If you desire a thinner cookie, flatten the tops of each cookie very slightly with your hand.

Bake cookies for about 10 minutes one sheet at a time, until tops slightly cracked and edges are just set. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Toast Twists

Ingredients:
12 slices of very soft, fresh white bread
60ml melted butter
125ml sugar
5ml cinnamon

Method:
Preheat the oven to 190˚C. Butter the cups in a 12-cup muffin pan.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Cut the crusts from a slice of bread and roll until very thin. Spread both sides of the bread with melted butter and then sprinkle one side with the cinnamon sugar, making sure to cover very well.

Fold each side into the middle and then gently roll up and place in a buttered muffin tin.

Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon sugar. 

When all of the rolls are made and the muffin pan is filled, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are just starting to turn golden brown and get a little crisp. Remove from the muffin tin to cool slightly before serving.

These freeze really well. To reheat, place briefly in a microwave to thaw and then bake in a low oven (150˚C-160˚C) until warm and slightly crisp. Alternately, you can reheat them in foil in the oven.

Cinnamon Apple Pie Bread

Ingredients:

80ml light brown sugar

5ml ground cinnamon

160ml white sugar

125g butter, softened

2 eggs

7.5ml vanilla extract

375ml flour

10ml baking powder

125ml milk

1 apple - Granny Smith are good - peeled and chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.

Beat together the butter and white sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. 

Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated.

Add the vanilla and stir until well mixed.

Combine flour and baking powder in another bowl. Stir in the creamed butter mixture. Mix the milk into the batter until it is silky smooth.

Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top this batter layer with half the apples and half the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Lightly push the apples into the batter.

Pour the remaining batter over the apple layer and top with the remaining apples and cinnamon sugar. Lightly push the apples into the batter, swirling the cinnamon sugar through the apples using a clean finger.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. If you notice the top of the loaf getting too brown, cover loosely with tin foil and continue baking until the inside of the loaf is done. 

Raspberry and Cinnamon Jam

Makes about 1kg

Ingredients:
900g granulated or preserving sugar
900g raspberries
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick, crushed and tied in muslin

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the sugar in a roasting tin and warm in the oven for 10 minutes. Put the raspberries in a preserving pan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until the juices run. Add the warmed sugar, lemon juice and the cinnamon stick.
Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Bubble for 15 minutes or until set, then remove the cinnamon stick.
Pour the hot preserve into warm sterilised jam jars, then cover and label.