Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I ummed and aahed for ages with this recipe, because I have never made a strudel topping I wanted to try it but I diod n not want a dry cupcake. Apart from it creating a mound of washing up the recipe turned out just great

Ingredients

Cupcake

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon,

smidgen of allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large organic eggs

1 1/3 cups freshly roasted pumpkin

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla essence

Cream cheese topping

1 x 8 ounce package cream cheese

1 large organic egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence

3 tablespoons mucavado sugar

Streusel topping

4 1/2 tablespoons flour

5 tablespoons white sugar

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Method

Cupcakes

In a large bowl, sieve together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the centreand gradually incorporate eggs, mashed pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth. Fill cups with pumpkin mixture to about a third full , add a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture and top with a little more cupcake mixture. Sprinkle on the streusel topping. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

FILLING:
Beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth. Set aside.
STREUSEL TOPPING:

Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans.Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Pumpkin Almond Butter

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup almond butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoons pure vanilla essence

Blend ingredients until smooth.

Beef and Butternut Squash Curry

Beef and butternut squash curry is the ultimate comfort food for cold Winter waether and the perfect foil for snow in London.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 sweet yellow onion, sliced thinly

kosher salt

2 lbs. stewing beef,

2 branches of curry leaves (about 30 small leaves)

Thumb of fresh ginger, sliced

3 cloves whole garlic, peeled

1 13.5 oz. can coconut cream

2 cups water

2 teaspoons tumeric

2 tablespoons curry powder

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate

Method

Heat the oil in a laerge pan, add the sliced onions and cook until softened and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the curry leaves and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season the meat lightly with salt. Working in two batches, add the meat to the pot with the curry leaves, and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the squash, to the pot.

Bring the ingredients to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer partially covered, stirring occassionally for three hours. Then, add the squash to the pot, stirring the pieces in with the sauce and cook for ten minutes until tender.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I make cookies often and blog about them on my cookie blog, but this cookie has to be here and I have to say it is one of my favourites.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/3 cups oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

good pinch of all spice,

2 sticks)unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree

1 large organic egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon and brown sugar for sprinkling on top of the dough before cooking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Method

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a bowl. Cream butter, honey and sugars in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy about three minutes. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla - mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Chill dough for 30 minutes. Drop the cookie dough onto baking sheets with a tables`poonspoon. Bake for fourteen minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a couple minutes and then transfer to wire cooling rack.