Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute

Have you ever wondered what to use if you don’t have pumpkin spice and a recipe calls for it? I often need it but they don’t have it at the grocery store because it’s too early for pumpkin spice season. (Pumpkin Spice and pumpkin pie spice are the same thing – people often use them interchangeably in recipes.)

This pumpkin pie spice recipe is such a basic one and it’s one that comes in handy this time of year. It will help you whenever you’re making a recipe that calls for the mixed spice but not individual ones. It’s a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and it’s so easy to make your own pumpkin pie spice blend! There are lots of different recipes and ratios out there for this pie spice blend. This recipe is my favorite, and the one I always use.

Ingredients in Pumpkin Pie Spice

• Ground Cinnamon is the largest ratio in the ingredients
• Ground Ginger is usually the second most in the ratio. It’s almost the color of mustard powder and is great in sweet and savory dishes.
• Ground Nutmeg – buy it already ground for ease, although you could ground whole nutmeg if that’s all you have.
• Ground Allspice or cloves – Sometimes you’ll see ground cloves instead of allspice but I absolutely love allspice in pumpkin (and gingerbread) treats. Allspice smells like fall and the holidays to me, so it wouldn’t be a pumpkin pie or dessert without it. If you don’t have allspice, cloves can be a good substitute.

How to Store DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice

• Once you mix your spices together it will last 1-2 years if stored properly and if you’re starting with fresh spices.
• Make sure to store the spice blend in a jar or airtight container in a cool, dark area, like a pantry or cabinet.
• I love these mason jars for bulk spices or these small spice jars for pumpkin season.

Items Needed

• Springform Pan: This is the pan that you bake your cheesecake in. It’s round with a removable bottom, which means the seams aren’t tight. If you don’t prepare your pan properly the water from the bath will leak into your cheesecake and ruin it. If you’re using a water bath for your cheesecake but don’t prepare your pan adequately the pan will leak, causing a soggy cheesecake.
• Aluminum Foil: I like using heavy duty foil. I use about 3-4 sheets of foil to be sure and have a barrier to block the water from getting into the seam of the pan.
• Roasting Bag or Slow Cooker Bags: This is your insurance item – I never used to use this until I started having issues with leakage so now I always wrap the foil lined pan in an oven bag: large or turkey size is best, or you can use a slow cooker bag.
• Roasting Pan or Large Pan: It needs to fit the springform pan, with room.
• Hot Water: To fill the pan with (it needs to be hot or boiling when you add it to the pan in the oven).

How to Use a Water Bath for Cheesecake

1. After you’ve prepared your pan, add your crust and cheesecake batter.
2. Place the pan in the large pan or roasting pan. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a kettle or the microwave.
3. Place the pan in the oven on a center rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the large pan being careful not to get it inside the plastic/foil or springform pan.
4. Bake the cheesecake as directed.

How to cream butter and sugar with a mixer

• Place your softened butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using an electric hand mixer). You’ll want to use the paddle attachment.
• Mix on medium speed (high speed will add too many air bubbles) for approximately 3-4 minutes, or until your mixture is fluffy. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl during creaming.

How to Cream Butter and Sugar by Hand

• First, it helps to cut the softened butter into thin pieces and mixing them with the sugar before you start creaming them together.
• Using a fork, press the tines into the butter and sugar to fully combine them. When combined, the mixture resembles a paste.
• Grab a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and beat the butter and sugar together using the same motion you would to scramble eggs. If it’s easier, you can also use the fork to cream them. 
• Be sure to scrape the bowl a few times.
• Depending on how fast you can mix, it will take three to five minutes to achieve the right color (pale yellow, remember?) and a fluffy texture. There should be no streaks of butter in the mixture – all of it should be well combined.

Can You Send Cookies in the Mail?

I don’t know about you, but getting a box of homemade cookies in the mail is always a wonderful surprise! It’s something I love to do, too, and I’ve learned a lot about the best way to ship homemade baked goods. 

I’m sure your biggest worry is sending cookies is that the end up a crumbled mess, but with the right steps and care in packaging your cookies you can feel confident they’ll arrive fresh and in one piece! Some cookies and treats are better for shipping than others so keep reading to learn which ones ship well and my best tips for preparing them for shipment.

You can mail them via USPS, Fedex and UPS and, depending on how fast you want them to arrive, you can choose expedited shipping. You want your cookies to arrive fresh so I recommend using, at a maximum, three to four-day shipping depending on the kind of cookie you’re sending. Any longer than that you risk them not being fresh when they arrive.

Best Cookies for Shipping

The best cookies for sending are ones that are sturdy and not filled with cream, whipped cream or other filling that will go bad without refrigeration.

• Does it keep well for several days?
• Does it have a filling that will go bad if not refrigerated?
• Will easily break or shatter during shipment?
• Can it melt or soften if it gets too warm?
• Will its decorations (i.e. frosting) hold up if it’s jostled?

Unless you can keep them frozen while they ship, I don’t recommend mailing frozen cookies. They will most likely thaw during shipment which can cause them to spoil from the excess moisture or they will show up soft and, well, yucky. 

Keeping Cookies Fresh

• Before you do anything make sure your cookies or other desserts are completely cooled before you pack them. If you pack them warm, moisture will build up in the package and change the texture and they will spoil sooner.
• Choose a plastic air-tight container to store the cookies and treats. I love Ziploc containers, Gladware, or meal prep containers. Flimsy decorative boxes – as cute as they might be – are not the best choice because air is the enemy of freshness. Also, plastic will protect your cookies in the very likely event that the shipping box is tossed, jostled, rammed or otherwise man-handled during shipment. You can use metal or tin containers as long as they are airtight or, if you’re not sure, you can wrap the cookies before you place them inside.
• Choose a container that is big enough to hold the treats without a ton of extra room. You don’t want them cramped, but they should be snug so they don’t rattle around during shipment.
• If you are sending different kinds of treats you should store them in separate containers especially cookies that have different moisture content. Softer cookies will stay softer if they are stored separately from crispy/drier cookies and vice versa. If you store moist cookies with dry ones the dry ones might end up soft by the time they arrive.
• Place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. The moisture from the bread will keep the cookies moist. The bread will get stale but the cookies won’t!
• For cookies, fudge, dessert bars, and candies that have a tendency to stick to each other I recommend either wrapping them individually in plastic wrap or layering them with pieces of wax paper in between each. 
• It’s a good idea to label the containers, too, so your recipient doesn’t have to guess what they are. 

Other Treats That Ship Well

There are also a lot of other treats you can send in the mail! Homemade fudge, homemade candy and candied nuts and popcorn are all things you can package and mail.

• Dessert Bars: Similar to cookies, there are dessert bars that hold-up better to shipping than others. Brownies, blondies, chocolate chip cookie bars and other sturdy dessert bars are the best choice for shipping.
• Homemade Fudge: Fudge is great for shipping because, depending on the recipe, will keep well for up to two weeks. The only thing to consider is the temperature when you ship it. If it’s hot and humid the fudge may sweat and melt during shipping so keep this in mind depending where you live and what time of year you are shipping it.
• Homemade Candy: Like fudge, homemade candy can be shipped, too, but be cautious when sending something that easily melts. Chocolate candy can be tricky when it’s hot as well as other types that melt when they get too warm. Hard candy usually ships well, but be sure it’s sturdy and not too delicate otherwise it can break.
• Nuts and Popcorn: Nuts, homemade popcorn, and muddy buddies are great for shipping as long as they’re packaged correctly. For nuts and popcorn, choose a sturdy airtight container. This is especially important for homemade popcorn because it will go soft pretty quick if it’s exposed to air.

How to Ship Cookies

Once your cookies and treats are snug in their air-tight containers it’s time to package them in the shipping box.

1. Choose a sturdy rigid box that is big enough to hold the goodies with enough space to fill in with packing materials. Plan to have at least two inches of space all around your goodies that you can fill in with padding.
2. Place two inches of packing material in the bottom of the container. You can use crumbled up packing paper, packing popcorn, bubble wrap or other material that’s suitable for shipping.
3. If you’re feeling extra cautious, you can wrap your cookie box in bubble wrap and secure it with tape before placing it in the box.
4. Place your treat containers in the box and place packing material in between them and around them so they aren’t touching each other or the side of the box. 
5. Fill the empty spaces on the sides and fill the rest of the box with your packing material. You know you’ve done a good job if you can’t hear any rattling when you shake the box. 
6. Secure the shipping box with heavy duty tape. It’s a good idea to mark the box “fragile” and “perishable”.  It might keep the shipping people from being too rough and it will also alert your recipient that they should open the box right away.
7. Secure your shipping label on the box and your cookies are ready to ship!

Cookie Delivery Tips

As much fun as it is to surprise someone with a cookie care package, it is a good idea to let them know you’ve sent some delicious treats! That way, they’ll know to open it right away and you can also confirm they will be home to receive the package. If they’ll be out of town you definitely want to wait to send the package!

Nothing says “love” than a box of homemade cookies on the doorstep, so if you’ve been thinking about sending care packages or delicious holiday treats I hope you’ve found these tips helpful!

Decorative Pie Crusts Made Easy

There are SO MANY ways you can make a decorative pie crust. Today I’m detailing four simple methods to spruce up your double crust pies. My methods are easy that anyone can do with just a few tools.

While I love pie, and I’m Crazy for Crust, I am not a detailed baker. I am not great at cake decorating and I can’t make royal icing cookies like some other bloggers, but I can make a simple pie crust design using cookie cutters!

Cookie Cutter Pie Crust Design

The “Crazy for Crust” design up above is made using cookie cutters. In fact, cookie cutters are the easiest way to design a pie crust.

You can use any cookie cutters you like, large or small. Use letter cookie cutters to cut out words. Or use hearts, circles, stars or any shape you like.

Designer Lattice Crust

Now if you want to do something a little different, that’s not quite a lattice and not quite a cookie cutter design, how about what I’m calling designer lattice.

This kind of lattice can have thick and thin strips or it can be made with different shapes.

• Plan out your design before you cut. This took me a few tries to get right, so plan before you cut.
• You could go in a circle or rows or random. Or use triangles or stars or another shape!
• Using the round side of pastry tips is great for making small circles (a 1M or star tip is larger than the standard tip, so if you use both you’ll get two sizes).
• The square lattice below looks like a lattice but was done with square fondant cookie cutters – making it the easiest lattice you’ll ever make!

Other Ways to make Decorated Pie Crust

These are just a few of the easiest examples for making a decorative pie crust. I’m a simple baker and don’t like super intricate designs because I know they’re not in my wheelhouse. However, some of my blogging friends have some other great ideas:

• Use mini cookie cutters to edge a pumpkin pie or other similar pie instead of crimping (you can see an example here)
• Make a braided pie crust (see Sally’s example here)
• Use cookie cutters to make a lattice (Leaf Topped Apple Pie)
• Make a Rose Pie Crust (as seen here)
• Top your pies with stars (like here)
• Another pretty decorative lattice (video here)
• Lettering on pies – using stencils to cut out letters or use cinnamon on a top crust – (see here at Frites & Fries)
• Another great lattice/cutout example with this Maple Apple Pie
• Paint on your pie with food coloring

How to bake a double crust pie

Bake the pie according to the recipe directions. I always like to bake at 425°F for about 10-15 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350°F for the remainder of the baking, but follow the recipe directions.

Also – it’s important to use a pie shield so your crust doesn’t burn around the edges! You can use foil strips if you don’t have a pie shield.

Double Crust Pie Recipes

• Apple Pie
• Raspberry Pie
• Peach Pie
• Blueberry Peach Pie
• Cherry Pie

What is softened butter?

Most baking recipes call for softened butter so it’s important to know what that means. Softened butter is not cold and it’s not melted: it’s somewhere in the middle, the juuuuust right, as Goldilocks would say.

Softened butter, also called room temperature butter, is when the butter is soft but not melted. My rule of thumb for softened butter is when I can make a finger indent into the stick of butter, the butter is soft enough. Note, however, that your finger should press into the butter but not fall into it (there is such a thing as over-softened butter!)

Softened butter makes your cookies, cakes and all your baking recipes turn out perfectly (when softened butter is called for in the recipe). While some of my favorite cookie recipes call for melted butter, softened butter is a baking standard, so knowing how to do it is important.

1. Slice your butter

Slicing your butter into tablespoons or even smaller pieces will help it to soften quicker. You’ll still have to wait, but not as long. Be sure to measure your butter before slicing it (by using the guidelines on the wrapper).

2. Pound your butter

This is a great method if you need to get out some aggression!

• Simply place your cold stick of butter between two sheets of parchment paper.
• Use a rolling pin to pound (or roll) the butter into a flat rectangle.

The stick will be thinner, thus it will soften faster.

3. The Double-Boiler Method

• Place your butter in a heat-proof bowl.
• Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes.
• Watch the butter carefully to make sure it doesn’t start to melt.

4. The Glass Method

Be sure to use a heat-safe glass (like a coffee mug or measuring cup) for this method! You also need to make sure that the circumference of your glass will fit your butter.

• Heat water in a heat-proof glass in the microwave until boiling. (Alternatively, boil water and add it to the glass.) Let it sit until the glass is hot.
• Place your butter (slicing it will make it work better) on a plate.
• Invert the cup over the butter on the plate. Let it sit for a minute or so, watching to make sure the butter doesn’t melt. 

This method is a cool science-y way to do it – especially with kids – but it’s not that much faster than just slicing and waiting…you have to wait for the water to boil, after all.

5. The Microwave

I know, this is the most frowned upon method but it really is the method I use most often. I think the microwave gets a bad wrap, but if you watch it, it can work just fine.

• Place your butter to one side of the microwave (do not place it directly in the center).
• Be sure that, if your butter is wrapped in foil, that you unwrap it and place it on a plate first.
• Heat at 50% power in 5 second increments, flipping the stick of butter after each.
• Just check it each time to make sure that it’s not starting to melt!