Kheer Komla (Milk Pudding with Orange)

Happy Friday and a very happy Children's day !!

After procrastinating for days I am finally here....

A lot has happened in the last few months... the toddler has started school, I joined work and...... aah.. yup. and thats about it. Actually, though a lot hasn't really happened, life suddenly seems to have picked up pace and toddler and I are gradually settling down to our new routine. Naturally the time spent on doing things that are not of mutual interest has minimized... but I guess that is alright. after all they stay little for only so long and I should know better than to spend this time doing things that can wait.....  

...thus dinner these days is usually quick and simple.. wrapped up almost always with a helping of yogurt for dessert. Weekends are however different. We are all relaxed and while the boys hang out doing boy-stuff... I take my time and prepare something special for them. 

Last weekend I cooked Kheer Komla, one of my favorite desserts from childhood...

Literally, Kheer Komla means milk pudding with orange. In winter when the local markets flood with oranges almost every Bengali I know picks up a bunch and prepares bowls of Kheer Komla. Of course those who have the luxury of time, patiently watch over a kadai of whole milk while it simmers and reduces to kheer, then sweeten the reduced milk, flavor it with elaichi(green cardamom) and sometimes saffron, chill the kheer, then dot it with segments of oranges... While others like me take the short route and prepare the kheer with a mix of whole milk and condensed milk and then flavor it and adorn it the usual way. 

However if you are like me and find condensed milk a little too sweet for your taste, you might want to consider the way I prepare kheer these days. The recipe is a medley of  Cajeta and traditional Kheer. It is relatively quick, gives you a handle on how sweet you want your dessert to be and works like a charm every time....  

Kheer Komla (Milk Pudding with Orange)

Oranges in milk pudding flavored with green cardamom and saffron

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Recipe by Tanusree

Cook time: 45 minutes                                                               Total time: 45 minutes + chilling time
Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 2 + ½ cup milk
• 3 tbsps sugar
• ¼tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 green cardamom
• 5-6 strands of saffron
• 1 orange

Cooking Directions

1. In a large saucepan or kadai, combine 2 cups of milk with the sugar and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Dissolve the baking soda in 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture and stirring vigorously pour it into the saucepan of milk mixture. (The milk swells at this point so keep a close watch and stir continuously. )
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low,split open the green cardamom, add it to the milk and stirring occasionally simmer the milk for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile stir the saffron into the remaining milk and keep it aside.
5. Once the milk in the saucepan thickens and becomes a light shade of orange , add the remaining milk to it and stir occasionally simmer over medium-low heat for another 15-20 minutes until the flavored milk  thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon.
6. Now switching off the heat, pour the flavored milk into 2 or 3 serving bowls and chill for 1 hour.
7. Add the orange segments to the bowl and chill the dessert for another hour or until you are ready to serve.

Serve and enjoy !!

Until next time,
Tanusree

I shall be sharing this dessert at the following parties..

Sunday
Sweet & Savory Sunday Link Party @ Baking in Pyjamas

Monday 
 Mix it up Monday, 
Made with love Monday, 
Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, 
Recipe Sharing @ Jam Hands
Melt in your Mouth Monday, 
Inspiration Monday Party 
Recipe Sharing Monday,
Inspire Me Monday, 
Clever Chicks Blog Hop,
Maniac Monday Linky Party

Meatless Monday :  Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory

Tuesday 
Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box,
 Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,  
Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings
Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles,  
Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,  
Hearth and Soul blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen,
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, 
Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen, 
Tickle My Tastebuds@Mini Van Dreams
The Southern Special @Spatulas on Parade
 Time to Sparkle Tuesday, 
Create Link Inspire, Tuesday Talent Show, 
Two Cup Tuesday, The Scoop, Simple Supper Tuesday, 
Brag About it Tuesday, Social Media 2-for-Tuesday, Take a Look Tuesday, 
Treasure Box Tuesday, Take a Bow. 

Wednesday 
What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, 
Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain, 
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, 
Wine'd Down Wednesday, 
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Mom's Test Kitchen 
Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday,
Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl, 
Create & Share @ The Trendy Tree House,
What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar & Dots Look, 
Hump Day Happenings @A Savory Feast

Thursday
Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive,
Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, 
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity,  
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage , 
 Freedom Friday @ My Turn,  
Thursday's Treasures @ Food Done Light,
Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday 
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating,  
Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie, 
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles
 Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,  
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,
 Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm, 
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, 
Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts, 
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, 
The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipes

Saturday
Saturday Show Stopper @Will Cook for smilles
  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Fresh Foods Wednesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, 
Let’s Get Real, Gluten-Free Fridays,Fight Back Fridays

Breakfast Strawberry Cobbler

Over the Father's day weekend we had gone strawberry picking with my uncle and aunt. I had been planning to go berry picking for a long time and we really went  overboard with the whole picking thing-y. Plucking fruits from the plants can be so additive. You see fresh succulent berries and think... "just one more" and by the time you are done, you have a overflowing basket of juicy red berries and somewhat reddish finger-tips. It is all so exciting that you find it difficult to stop even when you know you should and if a toddler accompanies then every pick becomes even more fun....

Chocolate Banana Bars

Ever since those addictive Chocolate Walnut Bars got over, I had been looking for an excuse to bake a fresh batch of chocolate bars. It was just happenstance that there were two terribly over-ripe bananas lying on the counter-top on the day I bumped into Mario Batali's Chocolate Banana Bars. 

Chocolate Walnut "Jammy" Bars # Baking Partner's Challenge

This month Suja Manoj of  Kitchen corner try it challenged the Baking Partners with two simple seasonal treats... Chocolate Walnut Bars from Faye Levy's Chocolate Sensations and Lemon Bars  from The Secrets of Baking, Sherry Yard and The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle. Both bars looked tempting... but in a house of chocolate lovers, baking two non-chocolatey treats in a row would be sacrilegious (remember these Blueberry Coconut Friands), so I decided to bake the Chocolate Walnut Bars or  Chocolate Walnut "Jammy" Bars today. 

Visitandine # French Fridays with Dorie

Visitandine, a simple French sponge cake with a 'pure butter-and-sugar' flavor was this week's assignment for French Fridays with Dorie.  Apparently in the pastry shops in France, they are baked in madeleine molds, financier pans, small fluted tartlet pans or tins that turn out little mini muffins. Like her friend Claudine Martina, who gave her its recipe, Dorie however likes to bake hers in a pie plate and serve wedges of visitandine at teatime or layer them with jam, whipped cream and berries for a pretty and elegant dessert. In her words, this cake "is perfect plain or paired with jam, fruit, chocolate, citrus curds, cream, frosting or glaze." Taking her cue I decided to use it as a base for a caramel apple galette.. and that turned out to be quite a treat !

The recipe for Visitandine is quite similar to that of Financier. Brown the butter, add it to the mixture of flour, salt and sugar, add vanilla extract to it then stir in the egg whites which have been beaten until stiff peaks were formed. Now bake the cake in preheated oven and thats it. You are done. Though Dorie recommended baking the  cake in a springfoam, layer cake, or fluted porcelain or glass quiche pan, I baked mine in the iron skillet.

I halved the recipe and baked in my 8 inch skillet for 30 minutes. Okay. The cake had actually started pulling off from the sides after 25 minutes.. but I let it sit in the oven for 5 minutes more... just in case... The extra baking time or the iron skillet might have made the cake a little biscuit-y. My husband however liked it ... infact he loved it so much that three of its wedges disappeared instantly.

My Rustic Caramel Apple Galette with Visitandine-base

...served with spoonfuls of rum-scented pastry cream

Finally a word about the caramel apples. Well this is the first time I tried making it. Using the leftover sugar syrup from the candied lemon peel (that I made for the Julekake) was the sole motivation behind making the caramel. I know I did a clumsy job of it... but the flavors were simply awesome. The combination of citrusy sugar and sweet apples was a complete revelation ! Also pairing the cake and the caramel apples with the rum-scented pastry cream that I made from the leftover yolks from visitandine felt like a good idea. Overall this dessert was a hit in our house and we really liked it.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this cake. You can find the original recipe here For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

I shall be sharing this recipe at some of these parties.

Roshogollar Payesh # Holi, Guest Post by my sister

I come from a family of great cooks. My grandmother was the best. According to my mother, she could fiddle around with whatever was available and create fabulous dishes out of them. I think, Moni, my aunt, inherited my grandma's skills and passed those genes over to my sister, Didi.....   So soon after announcing the Favorite recipes Event I asked my sister if she would like to do a guest post for me. She readily agreed. I knew she would. She is the enthusiastic one in the house, always enjoying life as it comes and always up for some fun...

An old  photograph of my big family with my grandparents in the center,
my aunt Moni in the top row and
Didi, in the bottom row..the one wearing red turtleneck and blue n white frock 

Now over to my sister, as she reflects on Holi... then and Holi.. now

Holi.....hmmm I remember Holi as in my schooldays ,the festival of colors, drenching in water, having loads of sweets snacks ,house hopping, changing wet clothes from time to time, having fun with friends, no studies, entertaining guests and taking ages to scrub clean at the end of the day. The fun filled day with loads of excitement has now become a memory for me. Presently staying in UK with my family and with very little friends around, Holi is just another day for me.

My sister with her daughter, Sneha

Right now, my 6 year old daughter is trying to get the essence of this festival from Indian movies and television. And on the special occasions, I try to recreate the festive atmosphere in the house by cooking simple desserts such as Roshogollar Payesh, a sweet dish that Maa used to make for us in the good old days...

This is an uncomplicated recipe for those like me who are compelled to be in the kitchen every single day.....

Butter and Rum Crepes # French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were assigned to cook  Butter & Rum Crepes for French Fridays with Dorie.

I have cooked and eaten crepes before. However these ones were special. The crepe batter had sugar rubbed with orange and lemon zest and a bit of rum in it, both of which added to their flavor. Following Dorie's recipe I served them with a filling of lemon curd and poured a citrusy-buttery sauce over it.. only to realize later that the crepes would have been perfect even without all that extra fat and sugar. A sprinkle of sugar was enough to pep them up.

As per the instructions, I mixed the batter the night before and made the crepes for lunch the next day. I cooked them in my usual non-stick frying pan. They did not stick and came off easily. However they were thin and delicate and it took me a couple of crepes before I could flip them with ease and confidence. Both husband and I loved our French crepes very much but considering my inexperience and inexpertise with flipping crepes, I guess we will only be making them on special occasions.

  

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about these crepes. You can find the recipe here. For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

Paris-Brest # French Fridays with Dorie

This Friday the Doristas were assigned to bake Paris-Brest, a big wheel of puff  pastry filled with vanilla pastry cream and caramelized blanched almonds...  With my terrible piping skills and inability to follow specific instructions, I ended up with a rustic looking dessert which barely resembled a wheel.. It was however delicious. 

Paris-Brest... what an unusual name for a dessert.. no ? Apparently this pastry was created in 1891 in honor of the Paris-Brest-Paris cycle race that began that year. It consisted of a big circle of pâte à choux filled with crème pâtissere that was meant to resemble a bicycle wheel. Because of its every-giving high calorific value, this pastry soon became popular among the riders and is now found in pastry shops all over France. 

Since I was baking just for the two of us, I halved the recipe. I have baked/whipped  half recipe of both pâte à choux and crème pâtissere before and wasn't very worried about it. My only concern was that I did not have a piping tip that was big enough. I thought piping out a few extra rings would help and so, did that only to end up with a pastry that looked more like a crown or something such rather than a wheel. Also, in all the hubbub I forgot to sprinkle the almonds on the dough before baking.  Later I tried to make up for it with a garnish of caramelized almonds. I am nottly affected by this adjustment... whatever it be the dessert was divine, specially the crème pâtissere with the hint of praline and my husband simply couldn't let it be until nothing but the crumbs were left ....

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about the dessert.

You can find a version of the recipe here . For Dorie's original recipe and more such delicious ones order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.  

You might also like:

Baked Apples filled with Fruits and Nuts #French Fridays with Dorie

This week we were assigned to prepare Baked Apples filled with Fruits and Nuts 

for French Friday with Dorie.

I had been waiting to try this recipe for sometime and I think I got a little overboard with it. While I liked it, I wasn't overly impressed. The reason however is not the recipe...its just me. I over-complicated the flavors by mixing in raisins, prunes, dried cranberries, dates, hazelnuts and pecans. I should have kept things simple and filled up the apples with just one fruit and one nut. I thought the scoops consisting of just the baked apple and a fruit or a nut tasted lovely..  

I will probably make these again but next time a simpler and a lovelier version.... Also next time, I will tent the bowl of filled apples with a sheet of aluminium foil from the very beginning so that I do not have to bake them for that extra 30 minutes beyond the recommended 75 minutes.. 

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about the pasta.

You can the recipe here . For this one and many such delicious recipes order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.

Shared these at Hearth and Soul Blog Hop at Zesty South Indian Kitchen.

The Best Biscuit Pudding Ever !

My sister-in-laws vacation is coming to an end. She will be leaving for India next week. But she possibly couldn't leave before treating us to her Biscuit pudding.

Like my husband and brother-in-law, she too completed her education in a boarding school and it was there that she learnt this recipe. While the recipe is constant in spirit, over the years the boarders at her hostel have adapted the original one and made their own versions. I have tasted a few others over the last 8 years of our marriage and I must say that each one was delightful.

Crème Brûlée Sans Eggs

Translated in English, Crème Brûlée means Burnt Cream. It is a classic French dessert consisting of a rich egg custard base topped with a layer of caramelized sugar. In December, Vimala Lakshmi of Cooking Club challenged the members of Gayathri's Eggless Baking Group to bake Crème Brûlée Sans Eggs...

The recipe she suggested by the celebrated Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor. It had 4 egg yolks and 1 egg. How on earth was I supposed to substitute so many eggs ! Google revealed that most eggless recipes of Crème Brûlée involved gelation, agar agar powder or china grass. Since I do not use any of those products,  I decided to skip the December challenge until I came across Sharanya Pathmanathan's post of Eggless Crème Brûlée.  It was easy and doable. So I decided to plunge in and bake Crème Brûlée Sans Eggs...

Magas, a guest post by my Sister-in-Law

Recently my husband had his yearly medical check-up and ever since he has been consciously avoiding sweets and desserts... Yet when his sister asked if there was anything special he wanted from India, without a second thought he said Magas. Magas or Magaz is fudge-y Indian sweet made with besan (chickpea flour), loads of sugar and ghee. It is one of my husband's favorite. I like it too and was delighted to see the box of Magas that my sister-in-law prepared for us.... and I quickly convinced her to share the recipe with all of us.

She is a cook in training and has learnt this recipe from her best friend's mother, Bharti Shah. She prepared these under her supervision and jotted down the measurements the way aunty had taught her. So the ingredient measurements are in grams and not in cups and tablespoons.. but do give it a try. You'll be duly rewarded....

Maple Glazed Pear Jam Doughnut Muffins # Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge

Its time for another round of Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge. This month Sheryl challenged us to prepare a dessert with pear and maple. With my spiced pear jam in hand I knew exactly what I wanted to prepare...Maple Glazed Doughnut Muffins with Pear Jam filling...

I had booked this recipe by Nigella a while ago. The muffins looked cute and attractive and I was certain that my son and husband would like it ... Well. I was partially right about that. Husband loved it. So did I. But our son refused to taste... which meant more fluffy yummy muffins for us :D...  We enjoyed them with our evening tea, then at midnight with some hot milk and again for breakfast the following day. Thankfully I had made a small batch or else we would still be feasting on them and then felt guilty about eating so many muffins at a go.....

Paasi Paruppu Payasam # South Vs North Annivesary Celebration

This October,  SNC completed a year in this blogging world and as a celebration we were challenged to cook any one recipe among the 12 challenges that had been posed in the past 12 months. While I have cooked my way through all the challenges since March, I hadn't written about Paasi Paruppu Payasam. 

 

Back in August Divya Pramil of You Too Can Cook had challenged the Northern Team of South Vs North Challenge to cook Paasi Paruppu Payasam. I had prepared it for Janmasthami and had planned to take the photographs the next day... which did not happen.... and then..... we rolled into September and the photographs and the post was forgotten till I received Divya's mail at the beginning of the month...

In the North Indian lingo, Paasi Paruppu Payasam would be called Moong Dal Payash or Moong dal Kheer. In the west, a dessert such as  Payash or Kheer will probably be labeled as a sweetened porridge. Though North Indians use lentils in sweets such as a moong dal halwa, preparing kheer with lentils is relatively uncommon. They typically prepare their Payash or Kheer by boiling rice or suji (semolina) with milk and gur(a form of jaggery) or sugar and flavor it with cardamom, raisins, saffron and cashews. So for us, this kheer with lentils was quite a departure from the usual. We however enjoyed it thoroughly and I certainly look forward to making it again during festivals and special occasions.

Paasi Paruppu Payasam Recipe Source: You Too Can Cook
Preparation Time: 15 minutes    Cooking Time: 20 minutes      Serves: 6-8
Ingredients    1/2 cup Yellow Moong Dal 1/4 cup Raw rice (optional) 1 cup milk 5 pieces Jaggery 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder 3 tbsps Grated coconut Cashew nuts - 10 to 15  Ghee - 1 tablespoon (i used browned butter)  -   Instructions Wash the dal and rice and keep it aside. Mix the grated coconut and cardamom powder and keep it aside.  Put the blocks of jaggery into a paper bag.  Crush it into smaller pieces using a meat tenderizer, hammer or wooden rolling pin. Then using the blender, grind the jaggery pieces into a fine powder. Next add the moong dal and rice in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2- or 3 whistles until the dal is properly cooked. Switching off the heat, wait till the lid of the cooker drops. Then mash the dal-rice mixture and stir in the milk. Now switch on the heat once again and cook the contents over low flame. With the added milk the consistency of the dal should be fine, but if you find it too thick add some water to the mixture at this point. Once the mixture begins to simmer, stir in the jaggery and coconut mixture. Check the sweetness and add more jaggery if the payasam is not sweet enough for you. Stirring frequently continue to simmer the mixture for another 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile in a separate pan, melt 1 tablespoon of ghee and add the cashews in it. Once the cashews turn brown, add them to the payasam. Switch off the heat. Your Paasi Paruppu Payasam is now ready to serve !  With time, the payasam tends to become more thick. If it thickens too much, add some milk or water and heat it slightly before serving.

Congratulations Divya for successfully running the South Vs North Challenge for the past one year and happy 1st anniversary to all the members of SNC !! Its been wonderful cooking and learning with all of you .  Hope we continue to learn and cook many more wonderful south dishes in the years to come and celebrate many such anniversaries together !

Sharing this with 

• Swathi's event Favorite Recipes Event: Kheer/ Payasam hosted by The Big Sweet Tooth, 
• My Legume Affair Event, an event started by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook, presently managed by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen and hosted this month at  Spicy Foood.

I shall also be sharing this at the following weekly parties...
Monday Food: Made with Love Mondays, Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Inspiration Monday Party, Sharing Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Maniac Monday Linky Party,Mix it up Monday, The Scoop

Tuesday Food:  Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul blog Hop

Wednesday Food: What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2
Thursday Food: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  

Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes 

Pumpkin and Cheese Donut Cakes # Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge

Ahh... the pumpkin season is in and everyone everywhere is cooking and baking with pumpkins... I too have been trying out dishes with pumpkin, some of which I feel are share-worthy. but lately time has been a bit of a constraint for me and I have been finding it difficult to sit and jot down the details before i forget them. anyway i do remember my take on this lovely Pumpkin and Cheese Spice recipe which lead to these little donuts cakes.. 

these donuts are pretty gorgeous with their blend of spices. they are soft and fluffy and a real delight with a cup of 'masala chai.' agreed that they do not look as tempting and irresistible as i am describing them to be... but my impatience with creaming the cheese is to be blamed for that rather than the recipe. the recipe is full-proof and wonderful and really deserves better photographs to testify how good it is. I apologize for the poor pictures and promise to upload better ones when i make the next batch.... but for now these will have to do... since today is the reveal date of Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge and for this round Sheryl chose Pumpkin and Cream Cheese as the star ingredients...

now a few things before i go on to the recipe.... the original recipe was for mini cake loaves which were baked at 350 degrees F. since I was a keen on trying the cold oven method, I baked them at 325 degrees F. I am not sure if or how that might have altered the texture of the cake, but I am pretty satisfied with the way it turned out... so i guess i'll stick to the cold oven method for these donuts... but if you feel otherwise do as the original recipe says... and bake the donuts at 350 degrees F.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Donut Cakes Adapted from An Edible Mosaic

Preparation Time : 15 minutes                                                                       Cooking Time : 20 minutes  Yield : 6 mini donut cakes + 5 mini cupcakes or 10 mini donut cakes  ingredients for the cheese batter 4 oz cream cheese 1 small egg, room temperature, lightly beaten 1/8 cup confectioner's sugar 1/4 tsp vanilla extract for the pumpkin cake batter 3/8 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 large egg 3/8 cup pumpkin puree, homemade or canned (I used canned) 1 tbsp canola oil 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 5/8 (80 gms) cup all purpose flour 5/8 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 3/8 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground ginger butter to grease the pan -  instructions preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease the mini donut/muffin pans with butter.  for the cream cheese batter, soften the cream cheese in the microwave(I did not do this but I think this step is important for a smooth cream cheese batter.) then using a electric handmixer, beat all the ingredients until a smooth and creamy batter is obtained. sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and keep aside. in a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and the egg until light and fluffy.  stir in the oil and vanilla extract. then gradually fold in the dry ingredient mixture, taking care not to over-mix. finally spoon 11/2 tbsps of the batter into each of the mini donut/muffin molds, distributing as evenly as possible pour the cheese batter on top and bake the donuts/muffins in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or a tooth-pick inserted comes out clean. allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to complete cooling.

now that the donuts are ready, make some masala chai and enjoy !

I shall be sharing this with the following food events...

Monday Food : Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Inspiration MOnday Party, Sharing Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Maniac Monday Linky Party,Mix it up Monday, The Scoop

Tuesday Food:  Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul blog Hop

Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2

Thursday Food: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Creative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty Creations, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  

Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes