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These are the three recipes I really want to make this month:

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients
Cheesecake Ingredients:
2 1/2 pkg of Cream Cheese (20 oz total)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
Crust Ingredients:
8-10 Crushed Cinnamon Graham Crackers
1 Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
6 Tablespoons of Melted Butter
Wilton’s Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
½ salted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons of milk or water (I used water)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional: Bottle Caramel Sauce

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line the bottom of the springform pan with an 8-inch cut circle of parchment paper before placing the crust in the pan.
Make the crust:
In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar. Stir with a spoon or spatula, until it is well mixed. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Set aside until ready to fill.
Make the Cheesecake:
Using a mixer, cream the sugar and cream cheese and salt. Be sure to do this or the cream cheese will split when you add the eggs. Mix on medium speed until it is completely smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
Slowly add in the eggs and egg yolks to the cream cheese mixture, continuously mixing. Addin the pumpkin puree, while it is mixing, then add in heavy cream and vanilla. Continue mixing the batter, until all ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth.
Pour batter over the prepared crust and gently tap the pan on the counter to ensure air bubbles are released. Place the springform pan into a pie plate or cake pan, and add enough water to cover the side of the cheesecake pan about halfway. (This helps the cheesecake to not sink in the middle. If you skip this step, some of the butter will drip through the springform pan into the bottom of the oven, and the cake may split or sink.)
Bake at 325 for 50 minutes. (The middle will still be a little jiggly, but it will set once as it cools) Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let it cool. If you leave it in the bath, it will absorb some of the water.
Allow the cheesecake to cool and cover to refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight, allowing the cheesecake to set well.
Once set, gently remove the springform pan. Slowly and carefully slide the parchment paper from under the cheesecake and place the cheesecake on a serving dish or platter.
Directions Buttercream Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, combine vegetable shortening and butter. Add in vanilla. Slowly add in powdered sugar, one scoop at a time, until it becomes stiff. Add in milk or water, one tablespoon at a time until frosting has desired consistency.
Optional: drizzle caramel sauce over slice before serving.

Notes
I use cinnamon graham crackers for the extra flavor, but if you want to use traditional graham crackers, you can add a teaspoon of cinnamon if desired. I have also made this cheesecake doubling the crust, depending on preference.

If you want a true white frosting, use colorless vanilla- you can get at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or even Wallmart in the cake supplies section, not the baking supplies.

I have made this with and without the frosting. I actually like adding buttercream frosting when I have an extra sweet tooth, and it reminds me of Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes. We drizzled it with caramel sauce too so it was DELICIOUS. My kids fought over it with the caramel sauce, but that isn’t needed either.

If using frosting to decorate a cake or cupcakes, I use all butter, as the butter seems to hold shape better for flowers or piping. For this cheesecake, I used shortening and butter so it would spread more easily. No need to add additional salt if using salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp of salt.

https://mooreorlesscooking.com/copycat-cheesecake-factory-pumpkin-cheesecake/

Danish Pastries

Ingredients
For the Dough
2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, divided
5½ cups (663 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar
4½ teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups (360 ml) milk
2 eggs
For the Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt
For the Fruit Filling
1 cup fruit jam, preserves, or canned pie filling
For the Egg Wash:
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
For the Glaze:
1½ cups (170 g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions
Make the Dough: Cut ½ tablespoon off the ends of each of the four sticks of butter (for a total of 2 tablespoons).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the 2 tablespoons cold butter and work it in with a pastry blender or your fingers until no large lumps remain. Add the vanilla, milk, and eggs.
Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until a dough begins to form, then switch to the dough hook and knead until a cohesive, but quite sticky dough forms, about 5 to 7 minutes. The dough won’t completely clean the bowl and will stick a bit at the bottom. (You can also complete this step in a bread machine on the dough cycle.)
Scrape the dough into a ball, and transfer it to a floured work surface. Cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the butter.
Make the Butter Block: Cut each stick of butter in half lengthwise, to make 8 long rectangles. On a piece of floured parchment or plastic wrap, line up 4 of the butter pieces side by side, to form a rectangle. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap.
Gently pound and roll the butter until it’s about 6” x 9”. The pieces may or may not meld together.
Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of butter. You should now have two butter rectangles, about 6” x 9” each.
Laminate the Dough: Roll the dough into a rectangle 12” wide x 24” long. Place one of the butter pieces onto the center third of the dough. Fold one side over the butter to cover it. Place the other butter piece atop the folded-over dough, and fold the remaining dough up over it. Pinch the open ends and side closed.
Turn the dough so a 12” side is closest to you. Roll the dough into a 10” x 24” rectangle. Fold each side into the center; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangular packet about 6” x 10”.
Dust the surface of the dough with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and again roll it into a rectangle about 10” x 24”. Fold it into a packet as you did in step #9; it’ll be about 7” x 12”. Roll one final time, fold into a packet, and flour the dough lightly. Wrap loosely (but completely) in plastic, and chill it for at least 2 hours, or up to 16 hours.
Make the Cheese Filling (if using): Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth.
Assemble the Pastries: When you’re ready to make pastries, remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and cut off one-third. You’ll work with this piece first; re-wrap and return the remainder to the refrigerator.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball, then flatten the balls into 3” to 3 1/2” rounds, making the center thinner than the edges. You want to build up a slight wall of dough all around the circumference; this will help hold the filling. Place the rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Working with one-half of the remaining dough at a time, repeat the process; you’ll finish with three baking sheets, each with 12 dough rounds.
Cover the Danish lightly with greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for about 1 hour; they’ll become slightly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Use your fingers to press the centers of the dough rounds as flat as possible, leaving the “sidewalls” puffed. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of filling into the well of each round.
Make the Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water. Brush the exposed edges of the pastries with the egg wash.
Bake the Pastries: Bake the pastries, one pan at a time, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and milk to make a “drizzlable” glaze. If the glaze is too thick, add just a splash more milk at a time until the correct consistency is reached.
Drizzle the glaze atop the pastries. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes
When you make the butter block, be sure that your butter is on the cool side or it will be too warm to work into the dough. If it seems too soft when you start working with it, just pop it into the refrigerator to firm up before continuing with the recipe. Or, get it rolled into your rectangle then refrigerate your butter block rectangle until it firms up a bit before laminating the dough.
You can tackle this recipe all in one day, or split it up into a more manageable two-day project. Simply leave the laminated dough in the refrigerator overnight and continue with the shaping and baking the next day.
Feel free to experiment with different shapes if you’d like, but as I mentioned above, I had the most consistent success with these circular Danishes.
These are best enjoyed the same day they are made for optimal flakiness and freshness, however, they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing the Dough: If you’d like to freeze all or part of the Danish pastry dough, you can do so after Step #11. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then wrap the portion you want to freeze in two layers of plastic wrap, place in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Freezing Assembled Pastries: To assemble the pastries and freeze before baking, complete the recipe through Step #17 (filling the pastries). Then, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer until they are completely frozen, at least 3 hours. Transfer the pastries to an airtight container or resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen (don’t forget the egg wash!), adding an extra 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time.
Freezing Baked Pastries: To freeze already-baked Danish pastries, allow them to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through.

https://www.browneyedbaker.com/danish-pastries/

Simple Easy Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients
3 tablespoons brown sugar (38 grams)
1 tablespoon cinnamon (6 1/4 grams)
3/4 cup butter softened* (168 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour (250 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder (5 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2.5 grams)
¼ teaspoon salt (2 grams)
1 cup sour milk (to make sour milk add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup measure and top off with milk, let sit for about 10 - 15 minutes) (245 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla (5 ml)
*If using unsalted butter then add ½ teaspoon of salt.

Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 325° (160° celsius)
In a small bowl mix together brown sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
In a large bowl cream butter and sugar, then add the eggs, beat until fluffy.
In a medium bowl sift together flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add dry ingredients alternately with sour milk, ending with sour milk to creamed mixture. Add vanilla and mix well.
Spoon 1/3 of the batter into a greased 8” (20.5 centimeter) springform pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon mixture. Spoon another 1/3 of the batter on top, then remaining cinnamon mixture and then top with the remaining batter. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and dry. Remove from oven and let cool. Enjoy!

https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/cinnamon-cake/

I’ve never heard of these before. They look so crunchy and good!

Crispy Bubble Potato Chips

Ingredients
1 medium (approx 197 g or 6.95 oz) russet potato
1 tbsp (8.5 g) cornstarch
1 egg white
oil for frying (can use vegetable, canola, peanut)

Instructions
Wash and dry your potato. Using a mandoline slicer set to the thinnest setting, slice your potatoes. It’s okay if they don’t all come out perfectly sliced since the ends will be sliced off later. Your potatoes slices should be about 1/16 inch thick.
Dry your potato slices to remove excess starch. The most efficient method for me was to put the potato slices onto a large sheet of paper towel, being careful to not overlap any of the slices. Place another large sheet of paper towel over the potato slices, covering them. Use your hands to press the paper towel onto the potato slices to dry them. Repeat with remaining potato slices as needed.
Before you begin assembling the potatoes, I recommend you review the post and step-by-step photos so you know what to expect, otherwise it can be difficult to visualize and explain in the instructions. Place dried potato slices onto a large cutting board. Line them up in a way so that you have one column of potato slices, then find similar sized and shaped potato slices and put them in the next column so that the pairs are next to each other and you will be able to easily sandwich them together later. See photo in post for reference.
Brush the surface of each of the potato slices with a light dusting of cornstarch. The cornstarch should not be thick, but should cover the entire surface. See post picture for reference.
Brush half of the potato slices with egg white (the egg white wash goes on top of the cornstarch). If you lined up the potatoes as I did, you would brush the potatoes in one column, skip the next column, brush the next, etc.
Press a no egg wash potato slice firmly onto a potato slice with egg wash (both potato slices should have their cornstarch side facing in). You want to press firmly to almost seal the two slices together. Repeat with remaining potatoes.
Use a sharp knife to slices the edges off of the potatoes, forming a rectangle shape. Cutting into rectangles should further seal the potato slices together
In a medium saucepan, bring oil to medium heat (about 350°F). Gently add a few potatoes at a time, being careful to give them room to puff up. If they overlap before they can puff up, it can prevent them from puffing. Once they are puffed you can add more. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove and drain from oil. If desired, you can fry the remaining scraps to make regular potato chips.

Notes
The potatoes must be very thinly sliced or they won’t puff up. They need to be around 1/16 inch thick. 1/8 inch thick is too thick.
The edges of the potatoes do need to be cut. They won’t puff up if the edges are not cut off because the seal isn’t tight enough.
I use this oxo mandoline slicer.*
*This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition estimate is for the potatoes chips before frying. It is difficult to determine how much oil is absorbed in each chip, which is why the nutrition estimate does not include it.

https://kirbiecravings.com/crispy-bubble-potato-chips/

Pumpkin Fudge Brownies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups Rodelle Organic Dutch Process Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
For the pumpkin layer
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa, salt and baking powder.
Hear the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the it melts. Whisk in the sugar until it’s smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture until combined. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Whisk in the eggs until smooth, then whisk in the flour. Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish.
Make the pumpkin layer by beating the cream cheese in an electric mixer until it’s smooth and creamy. Beat in the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth pumpkin batter and no lumps remain.
Top the brownie batter in the dish with the pumpkin batter. Drop the rest of the brownie batter into the pumpkin batter, using a knife or skewer to swirl it together.
Bake the brownies for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing!

https://rodellekitchen.com/recipes/pumpkin-fudge-brownies/

Pumpkin Scones with Bourbon Maple Vanilla Glaze

Ingredients
For the Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 and ½ tsp baking powder
1 and ¾ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ cup brown sugar, packed
3 TBSP granulated sugar
9 TBSP cold salted butter
2/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix!)
¼ cup + 1 TBSP milk
1 egg
1 TBSP Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract
1 extra tablespoon milk for brushing the scones + raw sugar for sprinkling
For the Glaze:
4 TBSP salted butter, melted
2 TBSP real maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp bourbon
1 and ½ tsp Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract

Directions
Prep: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Blot the Pumpkin: This is a simple technique that involves a paper towel and a plate. Measure your canned pumpkin onto a large dinner plate and blot it with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Do this four times (with four full paper towels). This is a SUPER important step to ensure that your scones will have a nice crisp buttery texture. We don’t want the soft moist texture of muffins here - these are scones, after all. And pumpkin is a very liquidy ingredient - so it needs to be blotted so the excess moisture is removed.
Make the scones: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl (including the sugars). In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, blotted pumpkin, milk, and vanilla. Cut the cold butter into large chunks, and use a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands to cut it into the dry ingredients until you have pea-sized crumbs. They don’t all need to be the same size. Gently stir in the wet ingredients, and stir until a dough forms. Using floured hands, gently work the dough into a ball. You may need to sprinkle a little extra milk in the bottom of the bowl where the driest crumbs like to hide.
Next, place the ball of dough on the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten it, with your hands, into a 8-9 inch disc. Spray a large knife with cooking spray (it keeps the dough from sticking) and slice into 8 equal slices. Cover gently with a kitchen towel and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Bake: Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and carefully re-slice down the edges of the scones and nudge them apart a bit on the baking sheet, so the inside edges can crisp up. Return to the oven and bake for 12 more minutes. The scones should have a nice crisp sound when you tap the top part of them around the edge. You can add an extra minute or two if they seem like they need it.
Make the glaze: Melt the butter. Whisk in the maple syrup, then the powdered sugar. Next, whisk in the bourbon and vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt.
Serve + Store: Drizzle glaze over the scones after they’ve cooled on the pan (or a rack) for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy right away! Scones are best while they’re still warm out of the oven, but they can be stored on a plate, tightly covered with foil, at room temp for 2-3 extra days. Store extra glaze, covered, in the fridge. Reheat both for 10-15 seconds in the microwave as needed.

https://rodellekitchen.com/recipes/pumpkin-scones-with-bourbon-maple-vanilla-glaze/