Williams Sonoma Pumpkin Butter Dessert Squares

Three years ago I was in Kansas City for five weeks for work. There wasn't much to do so we went shopping and happened upon Williams Sonoma where they were handing out samples of the most delicious pumpkin dessert you could ever imagine! It was to promote their super pricey pumpkin butter and thankfully they were handing out the recipe so I snapped it up. I've since made it more times than I can count and every time I get asked for the recipe so here it is! I use Trader Joe's pumpkin butter which is less than half the price and just like the WS version you'll need two jars.

Ingredients

1 package yellow cake mix; set aside one cup

½ cup butter, melted

3 eggs, large

1 1/3 cups pumpkin butter

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide yellow cake mix, placing all but one cup in a mixing bowl. Stir the melted butter and one egg into the cake mix. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9” x 13” pan. Mix the pumpkin butter with two eggs and milk. Stir the reserved cup of cake mix with the flour, sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon. Mix together until crumbly.  

 Pour pumpkin filling over the cake mix crust. Sprinkle crumble over top of the pumpkin layer. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Cut into 2” squares. Serves 24.

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Made this for our at home New Year's Eve dinner. Came out just like the lava cakes at the restaurants and was a lot easier than expected!

Molten Chocolate Cakes With Sugar-Coated Raspberries

This recipe was originally featured in the USA WEEKEND article Advice A Holiday Feast - One Meal, Two Traditions on April 13, 2003.

Preheat oven to 450.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter or unsalted margarine

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or bars, cut into bite-size chunks

5 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

4 teaspoons flour (or matzo meal, ground in a blender to a fine powder)

8 extra-large paper muffin cups (or use regular paper muffin cups, which will make 12 cakes)

Garnish:

1 (6 ounce) container raspberries, barely moistened and rolled in about 1/2 cup sugar right before serving

Directions

Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; remove from heat. Beat eggs, sugar and salt with a hand mixer in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat egg mixture into chocolate until smooth. Beat in flour or matzo meal until just combined. (Batter can be made a day ahead; return to room temperature an hour or so before baking.)

Before serving dinner, adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard-size muffin tin (1/2 cup capacity) with 8 extra-large muffin papers (papers should extend above cups to facilitate removal). Spray muffin papers with vegetable cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift cakes from tin and set on a work surface. Pull papers away from cakes and transfer cakes to dessert plates.

Top each with sugared raspberries and serve immediately.

Lorie's Peach Crumble/Cobbler

My fabulous world traveler friend Lorie makes this super easy really tasty dessert that she calls cobbler but more nearly fits the description of a crumble. Either way, I call it scrumptious and kinda healthy!

Preheat oven to 375.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1/3 cup wheat flour (normal flour works if that's all you have)

3/4 stick of butter, melted

1 lemon (or 2 depending on size)

5-7 peeled peaches (or mix with pears/blueberries!)

Lubricate the baking dish. Mix the flour, oats, and sugar together with melted butter to make "cobble, " set aside. Take sliced peaches and pour lemon juice over them, spread in dish. Place cobble on top of fruit. Bake at 375 in oven for about 25 min the broil. Watch carefully at end to get it crusted just right.

Thanks Lorie!