Pumpkin Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gable

I am infinitely thankful.

At any moment I can turn my head and find a reason to be deeply grateful.  Not just grateful for life, and relatively good health, and shelter, and food, but for the beyond-necessity blessings that are constantly surrounding me. 

It's too much.  It's an overwhelming, all-encompassing, never-ending Christmas morning life that I am living right now and I love it.  

Yet, though thankfulness is abundant, and blessings even more ubiquitous, I still find myself fighting anxiety, stress, and frustration with every Prius in my vicinity that insists upon driving twenty miles under the posted speed when I have an errand list to conquer. 

Perhaps all of the blessings have disillusioned me into thinking the world cares much more about me than it actually does.  Or perhaps, I am simply a selfish human that forgets all too easily the mountains of goodness that surround me, and instead focuses on the one imperfect stone at my feet. 

I cry tears of joy as I watch my dearest friends, relatives, and fellow sojourners of this life come together to make this great change in my life so special.  Then somehow, my entire morning is fogged because of a broken bottle of truffle oil.  Completely replaceable truffle oil.  Why?

I would like to blame it on hormones or stress, or the fact that truffles are just very dear to my heart, but truthfully, it is none of those things.  It is my selfishness.

There is no eloquent way to state it.  

On these days when everything is going so wonderfully, the slightest road bump can ignite a meltdown, and this is simply because I am thinking far too much about Ashlyn.  

That is why I baked these rolls.  I made these cinnamon rolls to counteract my own self-absorbed tendencies.  I made them to get my mind off of all that I had to do, and onto someone else. 

Through self-examination, and much more experience than I would willingly admit, I have found that the best way to get my mind off of myself is to serve someone else.  

Though there are truly bad days where the stress and tears are acceptable, many of my worst days simply stem from selfishness, unfair expectations on others or myself, or downright impatience.  I have a very good life, and it is especially exciting right now, but it's so easy for me to be downcast by the spilled bottles of precious oil and the slow drivers that make me late. 

On these days, when frustration begins to creep in, it is good to set aside the phone and the demands it brings, and bake. 

Bake for someone you love very much, or someone you are just learning to love very much.  It is good to be concerned for something other than ourselves. 

There will always be to-do lists, there will always be things I could change about this upcoming wedding, but if we want there to always be friends, we must invest.  We must invest our love, time, and efforts into making their lives a little sweeter.

It is so much more worthwhile than ranting about Prius-owners. 

(I apologize to all of you lovely, Prius-driving readers, I'm sure you're just wonderful.)

These cinnamon rolls just about make every fall baking fantasy come true.  I shoved every autumnal flavor I could into these rolls - pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, pecans, and cocoa nibs - and wrapped them up in my very favorite yeast dough.  They are truly so very, very good.

Oh!  Brown butter!  Did I mention the brown butter?

Are you wondering why Pinterest is suddenly telling you to brown every stick of butter in your refrigerator?  I know, it is a little out-of-hand, but there is a good reason for its fame. 

Brown butter has a toffee-like richness of flavor that adds so much nutty, buttery goodness to baked goods.  It is a little intimidating at the first attempt, but after the second or third time, it becomes all too easy to throw this little weapon to everything you bake. 

The recipients of these rolls were beyond grateful, but more importantly, I got my mind off of myself for a solid hour.  It is good to serve. 

It's also good to taste-test before you serve.  Sometimes you need to taste-test two or three rolls for quality control.  It's a necessary evil.  We all have to make sacrifices. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Pumpkin Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

makes 7 very large cinnamon rolls

for the dough

- 8 ounces warm milk 

- 1/3 cup granulated sugar 

- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 

- 15 ounces all-purpose flour

- 2 egg yolks 

- 1/2 teaspoon salt 

- 2 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus extra for coating the pan)

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine milk, sugar, yeast, egg yolks, flour, and salt.  Use the paddle attachment and combine on low speed for 1 minute.  Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. 

Fit your stand mixer with dough hook and add the butter.  Mix on medium speed for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side.  

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and form a large ball.  Place in an oiled bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.  While the dough rises, prepare the fillings and coat a 9-inch pie pan with softened butter. 

for the pumpkin filling

- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

In a small saucepan, melt butter.  Add pumpkin and brown sugar and cook, over medium heat, for 7-10 minutes, stirring often.  The mixture should be thick and deepened in color.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. 

for the spice filling

- 3/8 cup granulated sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 

- 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs 

- 1/2 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped

In a small bowl, whisk to combine sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  

Remove the dough from the bowl.  Roll out on a floured surface into a 15x12 inch rectangle. Spread the pumpkin filling evenly over the surface of the dough and sprinkle with the spice mixture, cocoa nibs and pecans.  Roll the dough up tightly, working from end to end, and tucking as you go.  Cut the roll into 7 equal pieces.  Place the rolls in the buttered pan and cover loosely with plastic.  Allow to rise for 40 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until deep golden brown.  Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes before coating with frosting. 

for the cream cheese frosting

- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

In a small frying pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Bring the butter to a simmer, and cook, swirling the pan every so often, until the butter has deepened in color and small, brown bits have formed at the bottom of the pan.  This should take about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and skim any white residue from the top.  Allow to cool.

In the work bowl of your stand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed for 1 minute.  Add cooled butter and vanilla extract and beat to combine.  

With the mixture on low speed, sift in confectioner’s sugar.  Spread the frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. 

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Peach & Cherry Cornmeal Cobbler with Rum Whipped Cream

Sometimes you drive two and a half hours to pick peaches only to be told that you're not going to be picking any peaches.

No. No peaches for you because everyone else was rude and picked them all.  So you can go back peachless or take the ones the orchard-keepers have picked for you.  Okay, not so bad.

Oh, but you wanted to revisit the spot where you got engaged?  Too bad.  The orchard is closed, because we are fancy enough to be able to close a section of a mountain.  Yes we are.  But please, buy another donut. 

Ok, ok, bye.  

P.S. I'll take half a dozen donuts, please and thank you.  

Though last Saturday's venture was a bit disappointing, the peaches were nonetheless delicious, because we had not picked them ourselves. 

I have been baking and blanching and freezing for days, but this simple cobbler was the most delicious reward, and it made the drive worth every minute. 

I am always looking for new ways to add more texture to my favorite recipes, and ever since I saw Tracy's Raspberry Cobbler I have had cornmeal on the brain. 

I love the subtle, but distinctive crunch that it adds to baked goods. 

Cold butter, cornmeal, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and a bit of all-purpose flour come together in a rough dough after a few pulses. I really love when I can make a crust in my food processor.  

I have had half of a bag of black cherries in my freezer for about two weeks, so I decided to toss them in with the peaches.  Their flavors worked so beautifully together and the colors were more vibrant than my old Lisa Frank notebook. 

I get unreasonably excited at a chance to blanch peaches, but it is just SO MUCH FUN!  Every time I do it and those soft, fuzzy skins peel away with the slightest pull, I am amazed and I have to share my astonishment with whomever is closest. Sometimes that's just snap chat. 

Blanched peaches happen to be really slippery, so be extra careful when slicing. 

One third of the buttery, cornmeal crust is crumbled onto the bottom of the pan, making a bed for our fruit that will soak up an excess juices. 

The remaining crust is pinched into small pieces and sprinkled atop the fruit. 

This would be a good time to line a baking sheet with foil and place it under the rack that you will be baking on.  Bubbling fruit juices have a nasty tendency to drip all over your clean oven. 

After some quality oven time, this cobbler will be bubbling and that cornmeal crust will have reached a lovely shade of golden. 

We could call it a day right now, but I felt as thought this bake was begging for a creamy counterpart. 

Rum whipped cream perfectly fit the bill.  The subtle notes of rum were the perfect compliment to the rich, sugar-kissed fruit.  It's also excellent eaten by the spoonful... 

This was my snack, my dinner, and breakfast the next morning.  It's fruit, so, you know - healthy! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Peach & Cherry Cornmeal Cobbler with Rum Whipped Cream

serves 6

for the cobbler topping

• 1 1/4 cup fine cornmeal 
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes 
• 1/4 cup ice water

In the work bowl of your food processor, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and ground cinnamon.  Pulse until well-combined.  

Add butter to the flour mixture and pulse several times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.  Slowly stream in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing until a rough dough just comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for thirty minutes.  

for the filling

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 4 medium, ripe peaches
• 1 cup black cherries defrosted, if frozen
• 1/2 whole lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a sheet pan lined with foil on the bottom rack.

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine cornstarch and granulated sugar.  Toss the fruit in the cornstarch mixture and add lemon juice. 

Divide the chilled dough into thirds and pinch one third into pieces.  Sprinkle in the bottom of 9-inch pie plate.  Cover with the fruit filling.

Crumble the remaining 2/3 of the dough over the top of the fruit.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, on the center rack, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is crisp and evenly browned.  

Allow to cool for about thirty minutes before serving.  While the cobbler is cooling, prepare the cream.

for the rum whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar 
• heavy splash of rum 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat cream on high speed until it holds soft peaks.  Beat in confectioner’s sugar and rum until just combined. 

Serve atop warm cobbler.  Enjoy! 

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[ A Southern Venture ] Moon Pies

Up until this week, I could only remember eating one Moon Pie in my life, and that was the pre-packaged version my father once fed me along with a bag of beef jerky.  I was begging him for some lunch and apparently that was all that the outdoor sportsman store had to offer.  Though that was many years ago, the lackluster flavor of the tiny "pie" never quite escaped my memory. Needless to say, this southern delicacy had never been high upon my list of things to bake.  

The weather in my part of the earth has been more mercurial than ever the past few weeks.  It is bouncing back and forth between cold, rainy days, and hot, glowing afternoons.  It’s coy games of unpredictability have created within me a wholehearted enthusiasm for Summer.  I am ready to dive in headfirst.  I am ready for the hot dogs, and the blueberry picking, and…I might even buy a bathing suit.  I don't know, maybe I am feeling a little wild. 

Perhaps it was the uncharacteristic excitement for what has historically been my least favorite season that drove me to this recipe.  One new love inspired the other, I suppose.  

It may also have to do with the fact that I am trying very hard to eat s’mores at every chance possible, in any form possible, and these stuffed cookies certainly nod to the classic campfire treat.  

Before we jump into the recipe, I need to declare my immense adoration for this beautiful, canvas-bound collection of time-honored genius.  Southern food had not been something I had put a great deal of effort into mastering, until recently.  But, now that I am about to marry a man who constantly reminds me of his love for fried chicken and sweet tea (correction: tea-flavored syrup), I took it upon myself to work my way through some of the most iconic southern delicacies.  

So far I have tried only two recipes, but I am already aflutter with excitement for this book.  I have admired Garden and Gun for some time, and this beautifully curated book met my highest hopes. It is the perfect means by which I will begin my journey into the realm of southern gastronomy. I'm still gushing about the fried chicken recipe I tried last weekend.  Ahhhh, give me all the crispy chicken skin, please and thank you.  

As I was flipping through the many pages, this recipe caught my eye and I knew exactly what needed to happen. 

"Mardi Gras Moon Pies."  A lightly sweetened graham cracker cookie filled with marshmallow fluff and draped with a thick layer of chocolate.  The same familiar trio found in my favorite Summer dessert was repackaged into a convenient, no-fire-required medium.  

Let's take a moment to clarify something.  Moon Pies are cookies and Whoopi Pies are cakes. Both are absolutely delicious, but are by no means interchangeable.  Okay?  Okay.

The cookies in this case, were graham cracker based, and flavored with a bit of honey and a pinch of cinnamon.  

While golden rounds cool, a light, marshmallow-esc filling is prepared with a sugary syrup, gelatin, and beaten egg whites.  Now, this filling was certainly what you would expect to find inside a sandwich cookie such as this - both in its flavor and texture.  However, in the end, I think I would have been just as happy - and perhaps even a little happier, with good old marshmallow fluff.  The choice is yours.

I'll tell you right now that you are going to be tempted to panic because the filling will really look like it is not setting up properly.  It might even start to ooze (I really hate that word) out of the cookie sandwiches, but don't worry, it will set up.  Place the cookies in the refrigerator for a couple minutes and by the time you melt your chocolate they will be set and ready to dip! 

I really wanted to use milk chocolate here but I was afraid that its melting tendencies would make eating these treats rather messy.  Next time I am totally going for the milk chocolate because they ended up being pretty messy even with the dark chocolate.  Oh well.  I'm not mad at it, finger-licking becomes socially acceptable in the Summer, right?  

I love glossy melted chocolate.  

You could let these little "pies" sit at room temperature for a couple of hours like the recipe author suggests, or...you could be impatient and make up some excuse about the kitchen being too warm and pop them in the freezer for a couple minutes so that you can eat them right away. 

Guess what I did? 

I'm feeling very southern at the moment.  I might even give a glass of that slightly tea-flavored sugar syrup they call "sweet tea" a try.  

Or, I might just stick with my milk because that happens to be the perfect pairing for these cookies/pies/yummy things.

Happy long weekend! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Classic Moon Pies from A Southerner's Cookbook

makes 13 pies

for the cookies

- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 

- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 

- 1/4 cup honey 

- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

- 1 1/4 cups fine graham crackers crumbs (about 9 graham crackers, pulsed thoroughly in a food processor)

- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 2 tablespoons whole milk

Whisk to combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ground cinnamon.   Set aside. 

Combine butter, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat for one minute, until fluffy, then scrape down the sides and add the flour mixture.  Mix on low speed and gradually add in the milk.  

Continue mixing on low speed until the dough comes together.  Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and press into a flat disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  After the dough has chilled, place on a floured surface and roll out into a disc 1/4-inch thick.  Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds.  

Place the rounds about 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes; until the edges are golden.

Let the cookies cool completely on cooling racks while you prepare the filling. 

Turn half of the cookies upside down. 

for the marshmallow filling

- 4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin 

- 1/2 cup ice-cold water + 1/4 cup room-temperature water 

- 1/4 cup light corn syrup

- 3 tablespoons honey 

- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 

- 3 large egg whites

Place the 1/2 cup of ice-cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top.  Set aside to bloom while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Combine 1/4 cup room-temperature water, corn syrup, honey, and sugar in a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer.  Simmer over medium heat, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees.  When the thermometer reaches 200 degrees (do not do this step any earlier), place egg whites in the cleaned bowl of your stand mixer and whip on high speed.  They egg whites should have reached soft peaks by the time the syrup has reached the desired 240 degrees. 

Once the syrup has reached 240, remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin.  With the eggs still beating, slowly stream in the hot syrup.  Whip for an additional 8 minutes, until the mixture is thick and somewhat stiff. 

Place the filling in a piping bag and pipe about 1/4 cup of the filling unto the thirteen cookies that you placed upside down.  Top with the remaining cookies to create sandwiches and place on a clean, lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to set up. 

While the cookies are refrigerating, prepare the chocolate coating. 

for the chocolate coating

- 16 ounces dark chocolate 

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

Combine chocolate and oil in a glass bowl and microwave for thirty seconds.  Stir and then return to the microwave for an additional thirty seconds.  Continue stirring and heating at thirty second increments until the chocolate is smooth and thoroughly melted.

Allow the chocolate to cool for about five minutes so that it is no longer hot, but just warm.  

Use a slotted spatula to submerge each cookie into the chocolate coating.  Place the dipped cookies on cooling racks set over sheets of parchment paper.  Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or place them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate has set.  Store in airtight containers for up to 2 days.  Enjoy!

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