Pumpkin Crunch Cake

This is the best of several worlds!  Scrumptious cake that is a little bit gooey and has the perfect crunch. Add that to the combination of pumpkin, brown sugar, and warm spices and you have a dessert that will leave everyone asking for more.  We loved it!  It was super easy to make - and just as easy to eat!  Trust me - you’re going to love this one.

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

4 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped roasted pecans

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugars, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and salt and well combined and smooth.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.

Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture and use your hands to gently press it into the batter.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with chopped pecans and evenly drizzle the melted butter over the entire cake.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. At this point, check your cake. If the top is becoming to brown, cover the cake with a piece of foil for the remaining baking time. Continue baking an additional 10-20 minutes or until set.

Remove pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Chill for a few hours before serving.

If desired, top with whipped cream and chopped pecans before serving.

Click here for printable recipe.

Pimento Cheese Bites

Pimento Cheese is a Southern thing.  Being that my Grandma was from Alabama – we enjoyed Pimento Cheese on many occasions.   My cousin Nona picked up the tradition of serving it when the family was together on the holidays.   I haven’t had it in many years.  So, this past Christmas I had a craving for it and decided to make it.  I found this cute idea on Pinterest to make it into individual bites with a Pretzel Stick in each.  I served them at a party and everyone loved them.  I’ve since made the recipe into other "forms" - one large cheese ball – and I’ve made it and just served in a dish without rolling it in the nuts, bacon and jalapeno.  Regardless of what “form” you decide to mold your Pimento Cheese into – I think you’ll enjoy it and be thrilled you tried it.  It’s Scrumptious!

Ingredients:

For the Pimento Cheese:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated

1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Mini Cheese Ball Bites:

18 oz bacon, cooked until crisp and finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups diced)

1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped

1 to 2 jalapeños, minced (seeds & membranes removed)

Pretzel sticks

Directions

To make Pimento Cheese:

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic salt, onion powder, and cayenne. Scrape bowl and mix in grated cheddar and diced pimentos until well combined. Season with salt and/or black pepper, to taste. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm.

To make Mini Cheese Ball Bites:

In a medium bowl, combine diced bacon, chopped pecans, and minced jalapeños. Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, form heaping tablespoons of pimento cheese into balls. Roll each pimento cheese ball in the mixture of bacon, pecans, and jalapeños, pressing coating into cheese so that it adheres.

Refrigerate cheese balls until firm, and keep them chilled until ready to serve. Just before serving, skewer each cheese ball with a pretzel stick.

Notes

To toast pecans, spread out on a sheet pan and baked in a preheated 350°F oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Allow pecans to cool before finely chopping them.

As long as you remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeños and very finely dice them, they shouldn't be too spicy. Use as much jalapeño as you wish, however, based on your personal preference.

If you'd like to use the Pimento Cheese recipe for purposes other than mini cheese balls, increase the mayonnaise to 1/2 cup. The reason the amount of mayo is slightly reduced for these cheese balls is to make sure the mixture isn't too soft to roll into balls.

You can make the cheese balls ahead of time, but don't insert the pretzels until just before serving or they will become soggy.

Click here for printable recipe.